Yes ORAC, that is true today, but it wasn't the case when the "Vote of Shame" was taken. I give Lord Richards great credit on this - as CDS he advised Cameron that supporting "moderates" was not a credible or moral course of action, seeing as how it would prolong civil conflict and increase the number of casualties, but he was overruled by other members of the NSC. Those in the region, and increasingly those outside it, are experiencing the consequences of Western leaders' woolly thinking during the first two years of the so-called "Arab Spring".
Given the irredeemable fragmentation of the non-ISIL opposition, I can't see how anything short of a externally-supported resurgence by Assad's forces can possibly re-establish control on the ground. Western armies are not the answer; that is one lesson we definitely have learned over the last 15 years. If there is an alternative, partition into a Shia-Druze-Christian state under Assad (with a Mediterranean base for Putin) and a Sunni-only state under a puppet of Riyadh would appear to offer the best chance of stability - but what a terrible message that would send about the ability of Middle Eastern peoples to live together in harmony. Ahem.
Last edited by Easy Street; 18th Nov 2015 at 15:06.