RUSSIA'S OSTRICH DIPLOMACY : HOW RUSSIA RESENTS MEDIA ATTENTION ON ITS CONTINUED ARMS DEALING WITH SYRIA

 

Moscow's dealing with Syria is a reiteration of its insular mentality.  It now laments the poor image the media portrayal gives of Russia.  And all of that just for honoring an arms deal that has been in place since before most people remember.

So why, the Russians ask, are we to blame for all this? And why are people making such a fuss about it?

After all, they say, they are not hiding their re-supply of their faithful ally.  

It was not too long a time ago, when neighboring Arabic countries defended Syria's alliance with Russia and its seemingly unstoppable stockpiling of lethal chemical weapons as a way to counterbalance Isreal's might.  

Now however, Syria is a hot potato no one wants to touch. That power, that accumulation of lethality is what is keeping all of its neighbors in check.  Not one of them, not even a country as strong as Turkey is eager to get in the skirmish.  

So Russia now is faced with mounting pressure abroad to stop helping Syria, as image after image of the incredible distruction and cruelty surface daily on the internet. 

In fact the Russian delegation in Sochi, affirmed to no less than Ban Ki Moon, the head of the UN, that the supply of arms they provide are not lethal, and that those alone would not change the outcome of the war in Syria.  

But Russia is supplying Syria with arms not to defend itself against an insurgency, rather arms that are specifically aimed at warding off any outside interventions through air strikes.  

Since operating on the ground is a near impossibility at this stage, for anyone who would even think to intervene in the Syrian war theatre, the only possible way to stop the dictator is through air strikes.  And that's when the Russian come in.

What they are supplying in essence are weapons that could fend off any air strike.  They are S-300 surface to air missiles, designed specifically to take out any outside jets or gunships.  

There is no defence possible of dictatorship, especially a murderous one, that has slaughtered almost 100,000 of its citizens. This matter then, is not helping a country maintain sovereignty, nor defend itself against an invasion. This is a country struggling to free itself.  Any arms shipments therefore only go in defence of one man, Bashar al Assad, and his puny empire of mercenaries and assassins.  

So the question again is why does the media portray Russia unfavorably?  Because it denies the Syrian people what they want: freedom.  

Op-Ed

Source : France 24/  5.17.13