Former Maj. Gen. weighs in on violence in Syria
Posted August 13, 2011 8:42 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Don’t expect NATO to launch a campaign against the Syrian government, as it has against the Libyan government, at least according to one of Canada’s most senior military veterans.
Retired Major General Lewis Mackenzie says military intervention in Syria would be a much more difficult mission politically.
“They share a border with Turkey in particular. It would generate problems with displaced people. Syria gets support from Saudi Arabia which maybe shouldn’t be an ally of ours, but is certainly an ally to the United States,” he explains.
He says Canada’s decision to increase sanctions against Syria was expected. It’s part of an escalated effort to apply pressure, which could even eventually involve an indictment in the International Criminal Court.
“Those are various rungs in the ladder in applying diplomatic pressure, but that’s about all that’s available to the international community. The thought of putting in an international force is laughable to the extreme because of its difficulty in its geopolitical implications. So, it’s sure as hell not going to happen.”
He says the failure of NATO to make advances in Libya so far, would be another reason not to get involved in Syria.
Meantime, Mackenzie explains if Parliament debates another mission extension in Libya, Canadians should be concerned at how expensive the mission is getting. Canada is only one of a handful of NATO countries footing the bill for that operation, now in its fifth month.
