The uprising against President al-Assad shows little sign of reaching a conclusion. The civil war is causing huge suffering – with atrocities perpetrated on both sides. There are no easy answers. Some in Government actively push for Britain to supply weaponry to the rebels. But this would be a mistake of historic proportions, as it could tilt the conflict towards a truly regional war.
This is one reason Parliament should be consulted before lethal support is provided to the rebels. Our debate next week attempts to draw this line in the sand as we head into the summer recess.
So far the debate about providing lethal support has been confined largely to the implications within the country. But the real danger is to the region as a whole. Syria is in many ways a proxy war being fought out at differing levels, whether between Sunni, Shi’a and minority communities (such as Alawites or Christians); the West against Russia and China; or Iran against Saudi Arabia.
Throwing more weapons into this conflict would not only increase the violence, and therefore suffering, within the country, but also could extend the conflict beyond Syria’s borders – with disastrous repercussions for the region as a whole.
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