In World War 1 TE Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia), supposedly said to Sherif Ali in the presence of King Faisal: “So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long they will be a little people, a silly people, greedy barbarous and cruel, as you are.”
His words are as prophetic now as they were 100 years ago. Most of the world is glad to see the back of Syria’s murderous Bashar al-Assad, but it is a country of numerous competing cultures, religions and ideologies (“Assad’s overthrow in Syria deals a blow to Russia and Iran”, December 8).
Whether there is room for all in the new Syria remains to be seen. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
Bernard Benson
Parklands
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