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Occasionally there are times, when you read something that is so utterly devoid of depth, lacking unbiased analysis, filled with pretentiousness and holier-than-thou hubris, that you almost pity the imbecile who wrote it in a fleeting moment of emotional rush. Then you find out that the person who wrote that is not some first year student of diplomacy, or an activist in some obscure NGO, but a quite respected middle aged gentleman who is member of a number of policy think-tanks. And your outrage gives way to hopelessness, you lose your sense of humour, and patient disposition. You instantly understand the cause why the World is heading from one woollyheaded disaster to another.

This article, by James Traub, in Foreign Policy magazine was one such.

I really don’t know where to start. He started off with a mighty noble goal criticising the ineffective BRICS in regards to Syria, lost track in between and focussed on India only, rambling about how India is failed as a democracy, then again changed track and said India did a great job voting against Syria, all the while not talking about Russia and China, before ending haphazardly without any basic consensus or conclusion. Other than the fact that he made me understand that he is VERY angry. For not bombing Syria. Classic puerile idealist (or neo-liberal, as the Americans say) interventionist propaganda. The same kind of stuff that makes Susan Rice sound exactly like Condi Rice, without the steely assertive personality and conviction.

Don’t get me wrong! I am not writing this cause the centerpiece of the article was India. I am equally disgusted at my country’s hilariously naive foreign policy, especially when it comes to dealing with Iran. The recent despicable handling of New Delhi blast shamed me, like any sane Indians abroad. But Syria? Who knows who the opposition are?! Who should we support? Most importantly, why? Where does this interventionism end? Who decides? What’s the balance? How is it exactly different from Iraq, that these same bunch of people once criticised? Finally, aren’t we satisfied with the fruits of revolution in the Arab Spring already? This happened in Libya just a few days back. And if you need to read more about what is happening in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen, read the articles of StoneGate institute, written by…no, not someone from outside…but muslims themselves, from Arabia.

Syrian rebels are being helped by Saudi Arabia, and Libya. It has got nothing to do with idealism apparently…just plain game of geo-political supremacy and influence, mixed with sectarian spices, between Shia Iran and Alawite Assad’s Syria, with very vocally opponent Wahhabi Sunni states of Qatar, Bahrain and Saudis. Democracy has NOTHING to do with it.

Assad maybe brutal…but he is secular, not a religious nut. And we know how it turned out the last time Saudis helped rebels against secular government.

Thankfully there are still sane voices around, asking to leave Syria alone. As of people who are petrified of BRICS (like this banned EU video), keep providing us with your hollow rants. We know how interventionism and calls for change worked in the last 20 years. Thanks, but you can keep the change.