The Syrian conflict – why? and why now?

Up until now I have been somewhat baffled by the Syrian conflict. It was first explained as an extension of the Arab Spring. The British & French proclaimed their support of the rebels and then the US started showing their hand and then Turkey, and now Israel is allowed to actually bomb Syria, all in support of the rebels. And I kept wondering why – it didn’t make sense. I kept thinking it was the hidden hand of Israeli power against their historic enemy which would explain the support of the UK and US but, not necessarily, the French nor, and more baffling, the support of Turkey…. until now.

Thanks to Warren Puckett for discovering this yesterday and backed-up by this article and others found on line today. This article is extremely interesting but certainly not concluded. What it does is show a decidedly different, more complex and certainly more believable explanation for the conflict in Syria. Please take the time to read it. Since the 50s, at least, world history and the ensuing wars can be easily attributed to the grab for control of resources – it has nothing to do with “bringing democracy”.

A few bullet points to tempt you to read the article:

• More than a year ago, a $10 billion pipeline deal was clinched between Iran, Iraq and Syria for a natural gas pipeline to be built by 2016 from Iran’s giant South Pars field, traversing Iraq and Syria, with a possible extension to Lebanon. Key export target market: Europe.
• The centrepiece of Syria’s energy strategy is the “Four Seas Policy” – a concept introduced by Bashar al-Assad in early 2011, two months before the start of the uprising. … an energy network linking the Mediterranean, the Caspian, the Black Sea and the Gulf.

– and it goes on…