Afghan war shows we were right not to intervene in Syria

OVER the last month or more, there has been a lot of heart searching over how to deal with Syria over poison gas and the help that democracies in the West could give. The recent pictures on our TVs haven’t helped.

In my mind, and most probably the minds of the great majority of people in this country, this is a national problem for the Middle East and an international problem and it should not be left to the USA, the UK and France to interfere and deal with on behalf of the world.

We, as a country, voted to leave it alone when our MPs voted in Parliament. This has resulted in the president of the US asking for a vote and initially about “strikes” by air and missiles and is also being reviewed by France for a vote.

However, the other morning on Radio Four, I listened to a former American general say that Congress is now being asked not about just single “strikes” but “multi-strikes”, presumably the same sort of the shock-and-awe “strikes” that we all saw on our TVs at the start of the Iraq war. Frankly my blood ran cold at the thought, not what it could do to Syria and its population but what it could do to the whole of the Middle East. We could see the start of another international war and all its consequences, dragging in the West and parts of Northern Europe if they felt strongly about their own motives.

I would have thought by now we still had enough sense to take in the fact that people all over the world are different and that they really want to live their lives as their parents and their grandparents had done but with a better standard of living and a reasonable form of freedom.

When I look at Afghanistan now after all the years we have put in and the lives lost in the process, they are still basically the same. They lust after a better living and to live life. As they see it, we could stay there another nine or 10 years and it won’t alter. We will be in another war in that country with the Taliban.

From: JW Buckley, Aketon, Pontefract.

WILLIAM Hague has said that the Middle East crisis is the most important event so for this century. On this subject, what does history teach us?

Firstly, that gunboat diplomacy does not work. Victorian statesmen learned this over 100 years ago, but our politicians learn nothing from the experiences of others, or even from their own experiences. Stop the sabre rattling, and hinting at military action. Not only does it not work; it is counter productive.

Secondly, wherever there is instability, there will be chancers seizing the opportunity to make things worse, in the hope that they benefit.

Thirdly, democracy. Churchill realised it was a flawed version we had, but until someone came up with a better version, it was the best available. We have exported our version of democracy, and now have responsibility to produce an upgrade. This is where our attentions should focus. Our version of democracy only works when those elected have a sense of duty; obligation; service; and above all; honour.

As with many things these days, this has to be tackled on a global scale. Where are the statesmen? Those who can rise above the incessant twittering of petty party politics.