Of the most enjoyable books I have read in my life was “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” by Thomas Edward Lawrence, the famous Lawrence of Arabia. It was also made into a film starring Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole, and directed by David Lean in 1962.
The spark of the revolution against the Turks in the 1920s began in Syria, financially supported by the princes of Hijaz. The Turks used all means of repression to thwart the Arab revolt from the beginning.
Then the revolution gradually moved from Damascus to Hijaz, where Lawrence of Arabia played a major role in helping Prince Faisal against the Turks, while the British and the French were occupying many parts the Arab world.
Now, World War III is erupting in Syria and the battlefield is widening day after day to include other parts of the Arab world, such as Iraq and Yemen. The main goal here is to make Arab lands a place of conflict for the world powers, using local forces as their tools.
Two days ago, I met in Cairo Alan Greish, the former editor-in-chief of Le Monde Diplomatique, who is an expert in Syrian affairs. When I asked him about a solution for the Syrian problem, he said there is no solution, or rather, they do not want a solution for it.
He said World War III has started in Syria. “It is not a war between two armies. It is not a conventional war. No one party has any specific goal. It is a war for the sake of war,” he said.
“Bashar is no longer a regime and the rebels are no longer rebels. Syria will not become a Shi'ite state as Iran wishes, nor will it become a Sunni state as Saudi Arabia wishes,” he said.
“There is another war waged in Aden echoing what is happening in Syria. And some Arab capitals propitiate King Salman in it. Turkey will not win a thing by destroying the Arab region. It will pay a price. America will not leave as Russia wishes. And Moscow will not achieve any victory as some think,” he said.
Welcome in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and the Arab Gulf soon, the scene for World War III.
