SIR – Barack Obama and David Cameron are wrong: Bashar al-Assad is the West’s best guarantee against Islamic extremism. His secular Ba’ath party suppresses all who would create a theocratic state.
It is not in the West’s interests, or Russia’s, to allow the formation of an extreme Islamist theocracy in Syria. The country would then be a safe haven for terrorist training.
Vladimir Putin is clearing up the mess created by the United States and Britain, at great risk to Russia. It is time Messrs Obama and Cameron admitted to strategic errors of the past and worked with Russia in its attempts to shore up Assad’s regime.
Tony Iveson
Hunton, North Yorkshire
SIR – Seventy-five years ago the United States, Britain and all their allies joined forces with a totalitarian regime – the Soviet Union, which was responsible for the deaths of millions of its own citizens – in order to defeat a vile and barbaric regime, Nazi Germany.
The Assad question does need to be addressed, but only after the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
Ian Morgan
Solihull
SIR – President Putin’s rash action in Syria will produce an increase in the numbers of refugees fleeing the country. Will Russia take its fair share of these refugees?
Eddie Peart
Rotherham, South Yorkshire
SIR – David Blair seems to agree with Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, who recently said that moderate rebels in Syria will join Isil if the West tries to work with President Assad. There is no way of saying whether this is true or not.
Substantial numbers of Syrians support Mr Assad and surely many more would accept his remaining in power if that was the price of peace – especially if they had reason to believe that human rights would be protected.
The US should be engaged in serious talks with Russia with a view to enforcing a ceasefire between President Assad and moderate rebels.
The Syrian army could then lead an assault on Isil in Syria – something no other army can do in a way that would ensure stability when Isil is gone.
Dr Brendan O’Brien
London N21
SIR – After four years of bitter fighting, even with the support of Russia there is no realistic prospect of the Syrian government regaining control of the Sunni areas of Syria. It is equally unrealistic to imagine a government shared by the two denominations.
The answer must be for the international community to seek a partition of the country between the Alawite area, run by Damascus, and the Sunni area.
This is the necessary first step to bringing about the removal of President Assad and the defeat of Isil.
