A " Holy " Civil war !

The United Nations Security council has been careful to describe the bloodshed in Syria as a clash between " dissidents and the government ".  It has avoided describing what it really is - a clash between two branches of the same religion.

Bashar al Assad's ruling party consists of the lesser Sh'ite numbers in the Syrian population and the militants are in the more numerous Sunni sector which is trying to overthrow a regime that imposes religious rule to which they are opposed.    This is the worst kind of war - a " Holy " civil war !

The west is being condemned for it's lack of action to separate the combatants and sadly 15,800 people - many of them women and children - have lost their lives in the eighteen months that fighting has been waged. The Americans have stood aloof from involving their military muscle and both China and Russia have used their Veto to block meaningful sanctions or outright intervention.

Arms and munitions have been pouring into Syria from adjoining countries and International envoy, Kofi Annan has done a good job in preventing this becoming a larger dispute involving religious fighters widening the clash.   Syria is surrounded by Muslim countries composed of both factions of Islam and it could easily flame out of control and involve the entire Middle East.

The bitterness and loss is too deep for the present aim of getting the government and the dissidents to agree to form a composite administration to succeed.   It seems that all the west can hope for is that this civil war reaches some sort of final conclusion without drawing in the remainder of the Middle East.  Eventually, a victor will emerge and in all probability that victor will install a cruel despotic rule on the vanquished.

It could go either way.  Assad has a well equipped army but the dissident numbers have shown no sign of disarray, despite intense shelling and murderous forays by militia's loyal to the government.   The opposing forces are becoming better armed and the trickle of Syrian army personnel defecting to the dissidents is becoming a flood.  In many cases the only thing stopping this defection from widening is the fear that harm will be used against the families of those who defect across religious lines.

Distressing as it is to see a country torn apart,  the most dangerous thing the world can do is to interfere in a religious war.   Religion does not obey the rule of common sense.   In the long history of planet earth, the millions of people who have perished in it's countless wars were usually of opposing religious persuasions.

Along with politics - religion is the most divisive force on the planet !