Comradely bombs

The French want us to bomb IS in Syria to show our solidarity.

Were that as simple as it sounds I'd not object, but it isn't at all simple. Various countries are intervening in Syria, and while all want to bomb IS, they cannot agree whom else to bomb, and some want to secure a change of government.

Syria is a country divided between rival factions unwilling to compromise. In such a country the only stable state of affairs is for one group to hold power by force.

Attempts may be made to set up a democratic system, but that will only work where people are good losers. In a country like Syria those out of power will seize any chance to take power by force, so democracy, were it ever established, would not last for long.

Removal of the Assad regime would not produce a stable liberal democracy in Syria.There might be a fleeting attempt at democracy, but in the long run there would be another repressive totalitarian regime taking revenge on those who supported Assad. After a while there'd be calls for us to remove that regime too.

I propose that bombing in Syria should only be undertaken with the consent of the Syrian Government. If our government thinks it essential to bomb, let it reach an agreement with President Assad, instead of conspiring to replace him with someone else at least as bad and probably worse.