Will Europe Intervene in Syria?

As Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime continues to crumble, calls for international intervention to stop the violence are increasing. The cries for help, however, are increasingly being directed not at America, but at Europe.

“If Europe wishes to effect true democracy in the wake of the Assad regime, it must stop playing into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood and start aiding the rebels on the ground—yes, militarily, as well.” That’s from an opinion piece in the Times of Israel from August 17.

Citing the inactivity of the United States, the piece calls for Europe to take advantage of the now-weakened state of President Assad’s government and to intervene to bring about a regime change.

“Outside Syria, everyone has been waiting for the U.S. to take the lead on this issue, particularly on more advanced arms supplies. But inside Syria, as our own systematic surveys and extensive personal conversations have made clear, the Syrian people themselves are looking first and foremost to European countries, like France or Turkey, to save them” (ibid).

According to the authors, the rebel groups themselves are actually welcoming European support, envisioning European-style democracy as the model for Syria’s new government. They write, “We in the West, and especially in the EU, should turn this to our advantage and, before it’s too late, work on the goodwill we still may retain. The amazing thing is that despite the pitiful support from the EU, the Union is still viewed as the role model for what may come in Syria.”

The fact that Syrian rebels are looking to Europe instead of the United States should not surprise Trumpet readers. The Trumpet has proclaimed that Syria would break its ties with Iran and align with other moderate Arab states, eventually forming an alliance with a German-led United States of Europe.

For further insight into the coming European intervention in the Middle East, read “How the Syrian Crisis Will End.”