Kotarski: What can the West hope to achieve with a military strike on Syria?

By:
Kris Kotarski
/
28 August, 2013
By: Kris Kotarski
Columnist for the Calgary Herald

Western leaders hope that the collapse of Assad’s regime will lead to a more favourable strategic balance in the Middle East while Western allies including Turkey, Israel, and Saudi Arabia acquiesce to or support military intervention against Assad for their own localized reasons ranging from a divide-and-conquer strategic posture to sectarian calculations.

Regardless of Western hopes and intentions, recent history (Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya) tells us that military interventions do not result in outcomes that improve the strategic position of Western states. They also do not improve life conditions for local populations.

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