The main target of Qatar and Arab League is Iran and not Assad. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is fearing an Israeli attack on Iran by early April.
If you read in between the lines, the mission here is to weaken the nuclear armed state, nab it with oil sanctions and arms embargo and perhaps, reiterate the chessboard scenario that its neighbour, Iraq faced for a long time during American intervention.
Behind the mask of Syrian democracy, the international players are secretly conspiring a termination for the Persian Shiite, who for times immemorial, have been the enemies of Sunni Arab monarchies.
Iran-Syria Relations: A historical perspective
Assad, who belongs to the Alawite sect, sn offshoot of Shiite, is perhaps the singular dynasty ruler who maintained Iran’s alliance with Syria.
Right from 1982 onwards, Syria shut down a major pipeline that used to operate in its territory. In return of it, Iran used to provide oil at subsidised rates.
Iran, known for financially and intellectually helping Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, is a major enemy of the western political powers.
Syria, too, for a certain extent, joint the list when it started acting as a route to supply arms and armaments to Hezbollah by acting as a passage route.
Iran’s concern during the current uprising
Iran carries the history of being rebuked by both American and Russian powers in the past decades. Hence, claiming to its anti-western ruthless ideology, Iran mushroomed its military and nuclear strength.
The 11-month-old Syrian uprising is definitely a challenge to Iran. Perhaps, a greater concern than its own Green Revolution of 2009.
Hence, Iran has started to send force advisors and training personnel to Syria for training the soldiers. It also aims to establish its own military base in Syria which would cost $23million.
Interestingly, an Israeli official has accused Syria of building its own nuclear power.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran has stated to Kuwaiti media that he wishes to hold a meeting with the Islamic countries to devise a manner in which Bashar al-Assad’s coutry can be saved from foreign intervention.
Iraq’s paranoia
Who ever said that the resignation of Assad would cause an earthquake in Middle Eastern politics was absolutely right. The paranoia of Shia-Sunni antagonism has started fearing the political will of Iraqi Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
In January itself, one can witness Iraq drowning into its own crisis as Sunni politicians are being arrested and their houses being ransacked.
Unfortunately, the entire spectacle in Middle East is turning into a disease that can not be cured simply by injecting a dose of democracy. There is sectarian violence, power paranoia, methodological madness and deep rooted conflicts.
Its only time that can have the power to reveal the future amidst such chaos.
shubhdachaudhary 