WORLD_ Britain fires first shot for military intervention

Britain fires first shot for military intervention

By Con Coughlin
World Last updated: June 19th, 2012
20 Comments

 
Syrian rebels now have British support


The British government's dramatic intervention to prevent Russia delivering attack helicopters to Syria represents a serious escalation in the West's involvement in the Syrian crisis. By freezing the insurance cover of the MV Alaed, a Russian cargo ship, that was carrying a consignment of Mi25 attack helicopters to Syria, Britain is making its own form of intervention in Syria's escalating civil war.

Britain's clever intervention does, of course, blow an enormous hole in Russian President Vladimir Putin's contention that Russia is only interested in helping to bring stability to Syria. The Mi25s have routinely been used in murderous attacks on innocent Syrian civilians, and byshipping more of these sophisticated killing machines to Damascus the Russians are actively participating in the Assad regime's brutal suppression of the Syrian people.

Britain's decisive role in halting the shipment, through the simple expedient of cancelling the Alead's insurance cover, is therefore to be applauded, as it denies the Assad government vital supplies. But this action will also have consequences. The Russians, particularly under a nationalist president like Putin, will not take this unwelcome intervention in their affairs lying down.

The next time a Russian cargo ship attempts to deliver arms to Syria it is likely to be escorted by a Russian war ship. And what will Britain do then? Send for the Royal Navy? I don't think so, not least because our Navy has been pared down to such a level that I doubt we would have any ships available for the task.

The Americans, of course, with their vastly superior naval forces, might be tempted to intervene, by by doing so they will be running the risk of provoking a conflict with Russia.

There will be many in Washington, such as Republican Senator John McCain, who would back such action on the grounds that the Russian navy is no match for the mighty U.S. fleet.

But the more serious aspect of Britain's action over the Alaed is that the first step towards military intervention in the Syrian crisis has been taken. The cancellation of the Alaed's insurance policy might represent a classic example of the application of "soft power", but it could easily lead to the need for the commitment of more tangible resources, such as the deployment of a military force to protect Syrian civilians from attack and the enforcement of other humanitarian considerations.

*** Con Coughlin, the Telegraph's executive foreign editor, is a world-renowned expert on the Middle East and Islamic terrorism. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books. His new book, Khomeini's Ghost, is published by Macmillan.




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19062012
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