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Showing posts from September, 2013

Syrian Meltdown

No question about it -- Syria matters. It is the most immediate, noteworthy, and single-most  dangerous foreign crisis of our day. Two years ago, Libya was the centre of global attention. The world watched and intervened until the regime of Mu’ammar Gaddafi, who had been in power for 42 years, came to a blood-stained and wretched end. Syria is different, more complicated, and much more serious. Whereas oil-rich Libya is a part of the great Sahara Desert, Syria sits in the ‘middle’ of the Middle East. Its neighbours include Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel. Everyone of these countries in impacted by the Syrian civil war, which has no end in sight. What is happening in Syria? Why does it matter? Syria is mentioned in the Bible and its capital Damascus is called the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. For a time King David occupied Syria and had garrisons in Damascus. Ben-Hadad clashed with the kings of Israel, while Naaman the Syrian general was heale