Air Strikes and Politics

Last week saw a flurry of activity, discussion and comment in the run up to the UK government vote on whether we should bomb ISIL in Syria. Once the vote had been announced we saw several days of intense media coverage of the goings on at Parliament and predictions which MP was going to vote which way and what that significance might be for the various party leaders. Outside of the Whitehall circus, everyday folk were talking and forming opinions on which way the vote should go.

In the end, on Wednesday 3rd December, the House of Commons overwhelmingly decided to proceed with an air strikes campaign and the UK rode to war once more.

The situation in and around Syria is ridiculously complex with numerous different groups fighting against each other while sponsored by countries who are working with each other to end the conflict (in theory). Without access to detailed intelligence and awareness of our military capability I just don't know where I stand on the question of should or shouldn't the UK be bombing ISIL. My heart tells me war is never a good thing but my head tells me sometimes war is necessary. Islamically speaking the killing of non-combatants (civilians) is forbidden in war which would make the decision seem easy but it's not quite so simple - bombing an oil field or a road or other piece infrastructure may be a reasonable target that isn't likely to cause any direct death and will degrade the enemy's capability and if you can find . I'm glad I don't have to make the decision.

What I do know though is that Parliament decided that on the back of whatever information they were given the best course for the UK was to begin air strikes. Immediately after the vote there were all kinds of reaction, ranging from celebration to outrage and from sorrow to shock.

I don't think going to war should ever be a cause of celebration and those who would celebrate should read Wilfred Owen's World War One poem Dulce Et Decorum Est (pasted at the bottom of the page in case you don't want to click).

Sorrow is an understandable response - reading the last stanza of the poem will induce sorrow in anyone (and if it doesn't then read it again carefully). The horror of war, especially in its modern form, means the decision to send men to kill and to die should not be taken lightly.

Shock and outrage I can also understand though I think in this case these reactions could be due to a misunderstanding of what the UK government is meant to do. The UK government's (or any other government's) first responsibility is to protect and promote the UK citizens' short and long term interests.
When close allies (in this case France) have been directly attacked and there is a high likelihood the UK is also going to be attacked, that first responsibility means the government has little choice but to join whatever bandwagon has been started to destroy/debilitate the attacker.
Not joining in with the anti-ISIL campaign would leave the UK wilfully damaging its relations with its allies and key trading partners. And if ISIL were then to mount a Paris style attack on the UK the fallout against whoever was in government and "had done nothing" would be the end of that government's credibility with the people and to whom would they look for solidarity when they showed none with their allies when their allies wanted it?

In simple terms - my friend is having a fight with that kid nobody likes - I should help him and join the fight so he stays my friend. It sounds very playground-ish but, except for the obviously far greater stakes when dealing with international geopolitics, I really don't think it's all that far from the truth.


Dulce Et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen)

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues, –
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.

From Paris, with Terror

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only"

I've quoted the above from Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities - a masterpiece of sorrow, happiness, sacrifice, oppression and the essence of humanity. It chronicles the 18th Century French Revolution with stories revolving around Paris and London but that opening passage is surreally timeless and after the events in Paris on Friday evening it's meaning is as relevant as it has ever been.

If you're living in Europe you know all about what happened in Paris. You know the fear and uncertainty that followed in the hours afterward. You know the shock and outrage that has poured forth since from all corners of the world. It was a horrible and unholy attack on civilians resulting in mass death and destruction and our hearts go out to those directly and indirectly affected.

In the aftermath I noticed a considerable amount of energy on social media directed at raising awareness of other recent atrocities, for example the bombing in Beirut which saw 43 people killed and scores more wounded. All of a sudden my Facebook newsfeed was overtaken by people saying don't forget this place or that place and sharing photos of candles replacing the 'i' in various city names all with the general theme that Parisians are not the only ones who are suffering. Saturday became a very dark day as the recent troubles of the world - seemingly caused by ISIS - were all brought out all at once and thrust into everyone's view. It was sad to see but understandable as people sought to remind the Western world that this conflict has been somewhat hidden away 'over there' and has in actuality been going on for quite some time.

However,  in some quarters this awareness activity rapidly descended into finger pointing and divisive activity as some people sought to use the understandably extensive media coverage as evidence of institutional racism and western-centricity amongst media outlets and politicians. Others questioned why Facebook turned on its' safety check feature for Paris and not anywhere else and enabled temporary profile photos of the Tricolore but not the Lebanese, Iranian, Syrian or Palestinian flags despite the fact that it was the first time it had been used for a non-natural disaster. Others sought to use the atrocity as a reason to clamp down on refugees fleeing the exact kind of violence that Paris just went through. Others sought to further their prejudices and shift blame onto Muslims regardless of the fact that the Muslims are also being attacked by ISIS.

What was unwittingly happening was the exact purpose of the Paris and other attacks - to divide and breed distrust amongst communities that were previously somewhat cohesive and united. To break down our sense of security and positive disposition towards others and turn it into a sense of fear and hostility. To cause terror.
Pointing fingers and questioning every little detail while things are still settling down and confusion, fear and anger are reigning is playing right into their hands and is the quickest way to break down trust and positive feeling amongst people and turn them against one another. Alienation and ostracism of a minority will make even the most mentally strong person feel some antipathy towards the majority but it's fundamental in the human condition that most people are fragile.

The way out of this darkness is to unite and be strong together. The people to blame are not your neighbours or the man running the corner shop or the young woman in a scarf trying to catch the bus and getting on with her daily life. The people to be angry with are not the engineers at Facebook or the refugees seeking a life free from violence. Most people are just like you and just want to get along and live their life without worry and without causing mayhem and madness. It's imperative that you realise this and live your life with compassion and mercy towards those who are with you.

I'm going to leave you with Aragorn's speech at the Black Gate (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings) where he urges unity, trust and friendship amongst the assortment of men, dwarves and elves that have gathered to fight those that would do them harm even in the face of certain defeat.

I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me! A day may come when the courage of men fails! But it is not this day! A day may come when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship! But it is not this day! An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand! Men of the World*!


*I've changed the last word "West" to "World"!