This Blog has been unrelenting in its criticism of Western foreign policy since 9/11; in particular we condemn the tribal nature of traditional likes, which has lead to an increasing gulf between the UK and US and Russia. The problems with Russia over Ukraine could be easily foreseen and could equally easily have been resolved, so that all elements in that divided and badly governed country would have been faced with a united position from both West and East. Instead both Kiev and Donetsk have played one off against the other, while the population cringes amid the upheaval and violence of civil war.
Now we are witnessing the potential collapse of the Iraq state, under the weight of its own sectarian hatreds and the onslaught of the genocidal and ruthlessly efficient, as well as well equipped and resourced, IS. We have seen from the humanitarian disaster which is Syria that the West’s early judgement that Assad was a gonner has proved wholly wrong. What is overlooked in embarrassment is that Russia warned this would be the outcome. Russia and China warned over Libya and abstained. Now we can see with good reason.
Even the State Department and Foreign Office can now see that among the countries most vigorously opposed to the rise of ISIS and who have deployed covert and overt military assets to help stem the tide, are Iran and Russia. Meanwhile the US and UK are also deploying military assets in the same cause; the US is actually engaged in air strikes against IS, as well as aid drops for the terrorised Yazidis. The UK is dropping aid of its own as well as supporting the US with refuelling and logistics. It would all work so much better if everyone was working together for the same objective. This is what foreign policy is supposed to be about. Put simply diplomacy only works if it is built on facts not fancies.