Washington was quick to drop President Hosni Mubarak, a long-time ally, in Egypt but slow to back action, led by Britain and France, against Libya despite a long-standing antipathy towards Colonel Gaddafi’s regime.Governments in the West have found it ever harder to defend themselves from charges of hypocrisy when they encourage protesters in Tunisia, Algeria and Yemen but not in Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Bahrain; and when they back, with an armed intervention, protesters in Libya but not those in Syria
It isn’t just about freedom and democracy but about power, influence and oil. Although Nato appears to be bogged down in Libya, with no victory in sight or exit strategy in place, and with the cost escalating, and service chiefs warning ministers that resources have been stretched to breaking point, the West is beginning to turn its attention to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Syria – aware that should President Bashar al-Assad and his ruling Ba’ath Party be overthrown, the Middle East, with the exception of Iran, would have in place pro-Western governments with leaders happy to guarantee lucrative oil contracts.
As violent clashes between the Syrian army and anti-government protesters intensify, President Assad addressed the nation, pledging reforms but also to continue cracking down on “saboteurs”. He said: “What is happening today has nothing to do with reform, it has to do with vandalism.”Russia, which has a close relationship with Syria – its only foreign naval base is at the Syrian port of Tartus – has also warned the West against seeing the rebels on the road to Damascus as freedom fighters.
Moscow has been briefing journalists that the Mujahideen, including Osama bin Laden, were once “freedom fighters” – when they were fighting the Russians in Afghanistan – but became “terrorists” or “Islamic extremists” when, as al Qaida and the Taliban, they were fighting the Americans.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said: “The main thing is to avoid painting the picture that Syrian security forces are acting solely against peaceful demonstrators.” He added that parts of Syria are under the control of “armed militants”.
