The Syrian War

That the US has sent a task force of 150 military advisers to Jordan to shore up the regime in the face of the spillover effects of the Syrian war speaks volumes about the gravity of the conflict in Syria. To add to the fray, Turkey has now shelled the border region for nearly a week. Lebanon has long been feeling the repercussions of the Syrian war, and more and more militants, some of whom are battle-tested veterans of the Libyan war (incidentally many of them are veterans of the Afghan jihad of the 80s)  are converging on Syria to join the fight.  Opposition organizations estimate that the death toll stands at a staggering 30,000 and climbing fast.  They may be exaggerating but I fear that they are probably not too far off the cuff.  With Iran, China, and Russia’s continued support of the murderous Ba’ath regime, and the Saudi and Qatari oil sheikhdoms financing the Free Syrian Army’s armed struggle (which at times mirrors the gruesomeness of the Ba’ath regime), this conflict is spiraling out of control fast with absolutely no end in sight.  What’s more, there are unconfirmed reports that Iran is preparing to send troops to Damascus. I seriously doubt this as the regime in Iran is smarter than many think, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was doubling down on the Assad regime in one capacity or another.