I hold no brief for the Syrian regime, which is appalling: like the Saudi regime; like the Bahreini regime - add your own examples, they aren't exactly in short supply even within the limited area which we refer to as the Middle East. However this particular conflict has some very murky facets. My own opinion, which I won't attempt to enlarge on, is that it's a key component of the current undeclared war on Iran and in that respect the people of Syria's desire for representative government is being cynically manipulated.
I have every sympathy for the lost Turkish pilots and those close to them - they were, after all, only doing what they were obliged to do as service personnel. It's hard to know exactly what happened in terms of international law, however let's give Turkey the benefit of the doubt and assume that their aircraft at no time violated Syrian airspace and that there was no provocative intent.
It's worth pointing out that despite this proviso Turkey itself is unquestionably engaging in aggression against Syria by allowing its territory to be used for the insertion of arms into Syria on behalf of the various anti-government factions. The plural is significant here because those wishing to see the overthrow of the Assad regime should be careful what they wish for. As if this mistake hasn't been made so often recently that we haven't been warned.
We have short memories. In February 1982 the Syrian government suppressed a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood based on the town of Hama. This operation, which barely raised a squeak of protest from Western governments, entailed razing a large area of the city, quite literally, to the ground. The massacre has been variously estimated to number between 10,000 and 40,000 men, women and children. The higher figure accords with what the Syrian officer in charge of the operation, President Hafez al Assad's brother Rifaat al Assad (uncle of the present incumbent Bashar al Assad) has himself estimated. And he should know.
So where is this mass murderer now? Why, living in the lap of luxury in London! Where else?
Whilst they're searching for the fundamental particles of the universe at CERN, they should keep an eye out for the Hypocrisy Particle, it seems to be a fundamental component of the world we live in.
Roy