And international tensions
Once again ISIS has displayed the ability to punch above its weight in the international arena. First its advances caused a stir across the world, when it burst onto the Syrian civil war, taking Raqqa, then marching across the border and overrunning Mosul in Iraq, along with much of the northern part of the country. Then it upset long standing international arrangements when questions about its funding and arming led to the doorsteps of the Middle East’s traditional power brokers and their powerful allies in the west. Later, after it got Russia to engage directly in Syria, and caused the Metro jet crash over Sinai, and attacked Beirut and Paris, it again upset international crosscurrents in a manner that an outfit of its size and muscle would not normally be able to.
But this week’s Turkish downing of a Russian jet has raised the temperature to unprecedented levels. Turkish President Erdogan has taken a personal interest in removing the Syrian government since the start of the country’s civil war. He was, naturally, fuming when Russian intervention turned the tables once again in Bashar al Assad’s favour. For years the US, EU, Turkey and GCC have thrown in everything but the kitchen sink to topple the government in Damascus. But with Iranian and Russian help, not to mention Lebanese militia Hezbollah, the Ba’ath Party has survived, and is increasing its control over lost areas.
The Turkish provocation has raised the stakes at this critical juncture. It means Nato and Russia are once again in direct confrontation. Among other things this would push Russia to increase its presence in Syria, even consider ground forces, especially after the earlier aircraft incident. And since the other side will, no doubt, redouble their efforts in this proxy war, things will almost definitely get worse before they get any better, if at all. So far, ISIS is proving that it can trigger sensitive international fault lines like no other in the world. The progressive world must put all differences aside till this monster is laid to rest permanently.