The grisly decapitation of James Foley by ISIS has shocked the world. But how did Foley end up as the prisoner of the ISIS fanatics? It did not take much time for many Western pundits and journos to point their accusing finger to Assad and his goons: they must have sold Foley to ISIS, yet another proof of the dastardly nature of Assads regime. (Look at the link to Business Insider/Slates article.) Well, as I have insisted from the very beginning of the Syrian tragedy. Assad really has the main responsibility for the blood-letting as he had years to reform his regime of privilege and oppression, but failed to do that. Alas, I also claimed that Assad was by no means the only villain in this piece and that the constant Western mantra of Assad is finished, Assad must go was unrealistic and irresponsible. In particular, I suggested that when the popular uprising would become an armed civil war, it was bound to benefit enormously the jihadists, not the more secular-minded and democratic opposition. That indeed has happened: the Free Syrian Army has withered away and the main bulk of armed opposition are represented by jihadists like al-Nusra (the official al-Qaeda) and ISIS, which is too brutal and fanatic even for al-Qaeda. But, surely, that is all Assads fault also, as we have learned from articles in BI/Slate etc.? Maybe not. For read first what is one of the late articles by Foley himself before he was kidnapped - and then what news media that has interviewed prisoners who were with Foley can testify. globalpost/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/121015/aleppo-syria-rebels-fsa-assad-support slate/blogs/business_insider/2014/08/20/how_james_foley_fell_into_the_hands_of_isis_a_group_bashar_al_assad_helped.html abc.net.au/news/2014-08-21/james-foley-beheading-journalist-whipping-boy-hostages/5686342
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 21:49:25 +0000