Å andra sidan har USA och de gamla kolonialmakterna åtminstone sedan Afghanistankriget varit mycket tveksamma att backa upp med vapen, just av den anledningen att de är rädda för blowback. Utlovat vapenstöd har därför inte materialiserats hos syriska motståndsgrupper. Istället är det likt i Libyen-fallet mellanösternstater som Qatar och Saudiarabien som skickar vapen och pengar till just islamistiska grupper - till sina västallierades förtret.Matte wrote:För det andra vet Assad, liksom varje ledare i Mellanöstern, att USA och de gamla kolonialmakterna inte har några som helst problem med att backa upp militanta islamister. Tror du det var okänt för NATO vilka dom backade upp i det libyska inbördeskriget?
The Independent wrote:The British Government is considering sending weapons to the moderate rebel fighters, arguing that a failure to do so would not only further empower President Assad but also weaken future potential Western allies. The bulk of the arms that get into opposition areas in Syria go to Islamist rebels, courtesy of wealthy benefactors in the Gulf, especially Qatar.
[...]
France was instrumental, alongside the UK, in lifting the European Union arms embargo on Syria which would allow supplies to be sent to the rebels. But the messages from the Hollande government on the issue have been ambiguous. Last month Foreign minister Laurent Fabius stated that it would not be possible to send weapons as they may fall into the wrong hands and end up being used against France.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 56447.html
Washington Post wrote:A U.S. plan to arm moderate rebels last summer was quickly downgraded to the brief provision of a limited quantity of small arms and training for a small number of rebels in the south, fueling disillusionment among Syrian rebels about the lack of Western support.
The United States has long pushed for the formation of a coordinated rebel command through which to channel aid, but rebel commanders say the efforts have been undermined by the failure to provide any significant quantities of aid. That has trapped the rebellion in a vicious circle, the opposition says, in which the lack of American support empowers extremists, further deterring U.S. support.
U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have funneled weaponry to various rebel factions over the past two years. But they have tended to bypass U.S.-backed structures and to favor Islamist groups, many of which are now at odds with the Free Syrian Army.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mid ... story.html