The legal position is perfectly clear. Syria has a recognised government, that of President Assad, represented at the United Nations. That government is legally entitled to call on Russian military assistance. Russian military action against ISIL is therefore legal.
By contrast, US and French military action has neither the sanction of the Syrian government nor the sanction of the United Nations Security Council. It is therefore plainly illegal.
Neo-con propagandists have attempted in the last fifteen years to promote a new doctrine known as the “responsibility to protect”. This is identical to intellectual justifications of Imperialism from sixteenth century Spain through to Victorian England and Imperial Russia. It holds that misgovernment of less developed nations justifies military action against them by more developed countries out of humanitarian concern. It runs directly to the established international law of non-interference and the need for Security Council sanction of military action. The “responsibility to protect” is not enshrined in any generally accepted international treaty – certainly nothing that overrides the provisions of the UN charter – and is not accepted by the large majority of the countries in the world. It is not customary international law and remains a propaganda phrase, not a legal concept.
Finally, I should add that on precisely the same arguments, Russia’s intervention in Ukraine is, beyond any doubt, illegal.
If Russia says its hitting Isis but others say no those are US backed rebels in that area then if Russia is right that leads to a series of v unpleasant questions which I am not so foolish as to articulate and if Russia is wrong then we have more than a cold war.
Daniel
No your not…
“So Russia foots the bill for reconstruction and takes all the refugees?”
Bloody hell, shouldn’t the US take the bulk. They can do something good can’t they?…Massive rich nation.
Here is a Russian perspective on how the CIA/Pentagon brainiacs got taken for a ride by their supposed allies in the Syrian opposition forces who took their US supplies weaponry and handed it over to the radical Islamist forces at the first chance they got.
Craig:
” But the onus on deposing a dictator lies with the people of a country.”
Just because Obama stands up and declares his wish, intention, approval of the dictator Assad to be deposed doesn’t mean in today’s world of lies in politics that he has any such intention or wish. Assad has been driving around in his open-top car for years. Couldn’t a lady Di be done in some dark Damascus tunnel? I can see a drone attack on Lady Di in central Paris might have looked a bit obvious.
The Zionist lobby has got the international community divided and ruled. Russia and China support the Syrian Muslim population while USUKIS support trash against them. => 4 years of trial and tribulation for the Muslim Syrians. But Bibi’s made a booboo, the Muslims of the world ain’t having it. The Muslim Brotherhood can go and crawl back under its Alum Rock.
Excellent post by Craig. Agree 100%.
Transatlantic Friend
“I meant to say “That the claims . . . were lies . . .”
___________________
I was going to ask you if there wasn’t a word missing there but you spotted it yourself. Thank you.
Sopel is still agitated.
How Putin blindsided the US over Syria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34405983
‘And yet.
Isn’t there something totally jaw-dropping, gob-smacking, eyebrow-arching, ear twitchingly extraordinary – and not to mention, casual – about the way the Americans learnt about Russian plans?
It began with a phone call from a Russian diplomat to his counterpart in Baghdad to say “we’ve got something interesting to tell you”.’
Someone should tell him to calm down.
Whilst Craig is immersed in Hole In The Ground politics the serious stuff is getting seriouser.
I understand the Chinese are now wading in and part of the plan is to make sure home grown rebels (Russian and Chinese Muslims) don’t make it back home when Assad (or whoever the Russian’s want to succeed him) is placed back in charge.
Cameron only wants to kill British fighters if they belong to ISIS any of the others (and there are lots) will be welcomed back to Britain with open arms.
The US has lost control which makes the false flag of an ISIS nuke going off a more likely scenario, if it does expect our internet to be switched off and we will have to rely on the BBC and the Daily Mail for news updates.
Craig’s holes are starting to have an appeal.
The only reason why Syria became a target for destruction is because of its stance on the theft of Palestine. All wars allegedly waged for the benefit of the people in the Middle East were at the behest of the largest crime syndicate in the history of mankind that is the patron saint of the Frankenstein state.
As for Russian involvement in the Ukraine, I am afraid I do not subscribe to the notion that it did anything wrong when one considers the dirty role played by the US in regime change in that country.
What intervention in Ukraine?
Do you mean they accepted the Crimean referendum? Or are you buying the Guardian-type propaganda about Russian military units “crossing the border”?