• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News

5 Reasons not to Bomb Syria

1. Air strikes achieve nothing without sufficient ground support Everyone agrees Isis must be destroyed and driven out of their strongholds. But air strikes in isolation will never achieve this. Military experts are certain that coordinated ground support is needed to recapture cities like Raqqa. Cameron knows this; which is why his strategy before parliament contained the […]

Callum Towler by Callum Towler
2015-12-02 14:18
in News, Politics
The London Economic

The London Economic

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

1. Air strikes achieve nothing without sufficient ground support

Everyone agrees Isis must be destroyed and driven out of their strongholds. But air strikes in isolation will never achieve this. Military experts are certain that coordinated ground support is needed to recapture cities like Raqqa. Cameron knows this; which is why his strategy before parliament contained the spurious figure of 70,000 Syrian moderates willing to fight our cause. First, this mystery army is not united. It’s made up of 100-120 different groups, largely preoccupied with fighting Assad’s regime and our Turkish allies. Second, the figure itself has been widely derided. Some doubt if there are even 7,000 moderates there to be mobilised. And third, to label them ‘moderates’ is simply misleading when many groups share the murderous value of al-Qaeda.

2. Our bombs will kill many innocent people (and that is what Isis want)

Isis have a mantra: never be a target. Civilians are used as human shields, scattering among them in busy apartment blocks, and seeking refugee in the safety of mosques. Even digging underground tunnels to hide away from drone strikes. In propaganda videos they’re seen driving together in conveys. But, in reality, cars are used as decoys, with civilians always at the wheel. Raqqa, our primary target, is home to 200,000 civilians – now banned from fleeing under the punishment of death. Compare this to the 20,000 Isis fighters in the city; a figure that has dropped to only a few thousand as they flee to Mosul and Deir ez-Zor. Regardless of the precision of our weapons, many civilians will die, and that is what Isis want. Just listen to Syrians fortunate enough to have fled, pleading for no more bombs.

3. It will only heighten the danger to the British people

David Cameron failed to address concerns that bombing Isis strongholds will make us safer here in Britain; for surely our safety is the prime minister’s first priority. Evidence suggests it will only increase the threat on home soil. Patrick Coburn, the Independent journalist, and surest voice on the subject, believes the limited efficacy of our strikes does not mean their response will be proportionate. Isis are unpredictable and could launch a severe retaliatory attack; most likely on British tourists. They see Paris as a ‘great success’ and will surely set out to reek havoc on our streets. If bombing alone is unlikely to reclaim territory, a show of force – under pressure from our allies – can never justify heightening the threat at home.

4. Seeking peace through violence only fertilises insurgency (at home and in the middle east)

RelatedPosts

Republican defends US gun laws by comparing school shooting to 9/11

Stunned response as Linda Robson tells Loose Women panel she thinks Boris Johnson is a ‘decent man’

Laurence Fox told to pay £36k legal fees for drag artist and Stonewall executive

Nadine Dorries raps about Online Safety Bill for TikTok – and ends with painfully cringe mic drop

In trying to seek peace through violence, our bombs – reigning down on innocent people – will only radicalise more Syrians into the arms of Isis. Before we invaded Iraq there were only a few hundred terrorists. Now, there are 100,000 insurgents committed to varying evil causes. Isis rely on the civilian we perish for propaganda purposes, spreading images of dead children to turn opinion against the west.

It plays into their wider agenda; to spread fear throughout nations like ours, turning communities against their muslim population. And deep-seated anxieties so easily come to the fore; just look at the recent disgraceful Sun poll, so strident in it’s ambition to ratchet up hatred. If jihadism grows abroad, imagine what Isis can achieve outside the Middle East?

Cameron has failed to explain how extending air strikes to Syria will bring about a political settlement to the civil war. Instead of trying to accelerate international peace talks in Vienna, widely seen as the only method of eradicating Isis, he’s opted for a knee-jerk response. One made on an emotional register after Paris, that will only fertilise a greater, more impassioned insurgency throughout Syria.

5. Without a plan for reconstruction, bombing is likely to replace a nightmare with a nightmare

Have the aftermath of our actions in Iraq and Libya taught us nothing? Even if, against all odds, we drive Isis out of Raqqa and other stronghold cities, no reconstruction plan has been put in place to achieve peace in the region. Bombing Isis out will leave a vacuum of power, likely to descend into anarchy, before being filled by an equally brutal regime. Cameron, and allied leaders, have provided no such stabilisation plan, and until they agree on Assad’s future, military strikes alone are an irresponsible disservice to the people of Syria living within this nightmare.

Follow me @CallumTowler

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

‘No beaches were closed’: Cretans rubbish Raab’s Afghanistan excuses

9-year-old pens heartbreaking letter asking Santa for one thing this Christmas – a home

George, Britain’s oldest goldfish won at a fair in 1974 has died aged 44

Jail for smugglers who used cheese to disguise £5 million of cannabis

Grey seals on beach as record-breaking number of pups are expected

Roger Gale says Priti Patel lied about visa centres in Calais

Thank you Brexit: Germany reacts as BMW considers move

TFL has released a new walking tube map

Brexiteer Bridgen mocked for claiming No Deal tariffs could bag UK billions

Mining The Meaning: The Legacy of the 1984-5 UK Miners’ Strike

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.