Talibanizing Sykes-Picot

A decent piece summarizing the positions of the great powers in relation to the Syrian civil war appears on Reuters this morning; written by Louis Charbonneau, "Analysis: Syria peace conference: Don't hold your breath," it predicts a long conflict:

There may be no swift end to the war. And even if the opposition were to prevail, it is unlikely to bring stability. 

"The Syrian civil war is likely to go on for years," said Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

"It is not just that it is proving harder and taking longer to oust the Assad regime than many expected," he told Reuters. "It is also that even if the regime were to be removed, what would follow would be a prolonged round of fighting among opposition forces who disagree on just about everything except their opposition to the current regime."

Haass, who in the past has not been shy about advocating the use of U.S. military force, recently had a opinion piece in the Sunday New York Times saying that the United States should not get involved militarily in Syria. Sadly, it appears too late for that. Kerry appears to be committed to air strikes. There are a lot of obstacles in the way, but the Franklin Lamb story, based on his discussions with congressional staffers, that the U.S. will be conducting an air war against Syria by the end of summer, is looking like a reliable prediction.

Hwaida Saad and Rick Gladstone's story, "Christian Quarter of Old City in Damascus Hit by Attacks," explains why the attacks on the Syrian pound have not phased the al-Assad government:

The conflict and the Western sanctions imposed on Syria have caused a near economic collapse in the country, and the official currency, the Syrian pound, has plummeted in value against the dollar and the euro. Last week Mr. Assad’s government ordered double-digit increases in salaries for public employees and retirees to help offset the pound’s diminished worth, which is almost certain to cause sharply higher inflation in Syria. 

But in a sign that the Syrian leadership does not seem overly concerned about a financial crisis, a senior economics official said in an interview with The Financial Times, published on its Web site Thursday, that Iran, Russia and China were helping to prop up the Syrian economy, delivering $500 million a month worth of oil and extending generous credit lines. 

The official, Qadri Jamil, deputy prime minister for the economy, was quoted as saying that the Syrian government was now doing all of its business in Iranian rials, Russian rubles and Chinese renminbi, and that the three economic allies would soon help with a “counteroffensive” against what he called a foreign plot to destroy the Syrian pound’s value. 

“It’s not that bad to have behind you the Russians, the Chinese and Iranians,” Mr. Jamil was quoted as saying.

As the terror bombings continue in Iraq, what we're witnessing, thanks to the Gulf Arab monarchies and their partners Uncle Sam and the old colonial powers Britain and France, is the Talibanizing of Sykes-Picot. In a jiffy, the Global War on Terror is tossed on the dung heap in favor of a Global War with Terror. No wonder Israel has pulled its head into its tortoise shell the last month.