The Dilemma Of Arming Syria's Rebels

A rebel fighter in Aleppo, Syria. The United States has decided to provide arms to some Syrian rebels. Jalal Al-Halabi/Shaam News Network, via Reuters

The Dilemma Of Arming Rebels -- Geoffrey Kemp, Christopher Whyte, National Interest

In one memorable scene in David Lean’s masterful Lawrence of Arabia, Lawrence has returned to General Allenby’s Cairo headquarters. He is exuberant. He and some Arab tribes have liberated the port of Aqaba from the Turks. Lawrence wants to return to the desert to continue the rebellion, but tells Allenby he needs many items for the Arabs. “Two thousand small arms not enough. I need five; Money. It’ll have to be sovereigns. They don’t like paper; Instructors for the Lewis guns; More money; A couple of armoured cars…and field artillery.” Allenby pauses, but responds “I’m going to give you every blessed thing I can Major Lawrence, because I know you’ll use it.” Allenby is then confronted by his senior political and military advisors:

“Are you really going to give them artillery, sir?”

“Might be deuced difficult to get it back again.”

“Give them artillery and you’ve made them independent.”

Allenby concurs: “Then I can’t give them artillery, can I?”

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My Comment: This is not an easy call to make. The extremists are the ones who are carrying the fight in Syria .... and they will probably be the ones who will be running the place should Assad fall. And while it is preferable to support the more moderate elements in the Syrian rebel movement .... the fact is that we are not sure of who they are and where are they located. In short .... our intelligence is spotty, our recent history in such Middle Eastern conflicts has been catastrophic, we will be involving ourselves in a sectarian/religious civil war that has been brewing in the region for decades (if not longer), and we will be assisting groups that are allied indirectly with Al Qaeda offshoots.

As I said .... not an easy call to make. You have to choose the Devil you know (Assad) ... or the Devil that you do not know (Syria's rebel movement).