Antagonizing British Prime Minister Theresa May, former London Mayor Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson outed Saudi Arabia for sponsoring proxy wars, especially the Syrian War. Since funding the Arab Spring to topple Mideast dictators in 2011, the Kingdom’s put its prestige on the line funding-and-arming rebels to topple Syria President Bashar al-Assad. Johnson’s disclosure that Saudi Arabia funds-and-armis the Saudi proxy war in Syria should come as no surprise to anyone, certainly not No. 10 Downing Street. “Those are the foreign secretary’s views. These are not the government’s position on, for example, Saudi Arabia and its position in the region,” said May. Started March 15, 2011 in the height of the Arab Spring, the Saudi-funded proxy war has resulted in over 300,000 deaths, 12million Syrians displaced to neighboring countries and Europe.
Floods in Syrian immigrants into Europe and the U.K. drove the June 23 Brexit vote where British citizens voted to end their ties to the European Union. EU officials, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pressured the U.K. and other EU countries to take their fair share of Syrian immigrants. Taking over 1 million Syrian refugees into Germany, Merkel found herself in hot water, back-peddling on her pro-immigrant stance now that she’s running next year for another term as chancellor. Johnson stated the obvious that Saudi Arabia has funded-and-armed terrorist groups to topple al-Assad. When you consider the damage to the EU from the Syrian refugee crisis, you’d think Merkel and other EU ministers would have told Saudi Arabia to stand down years ago. Only after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided Sept. 30, 2015 to defend al-Assad did things change.
Battling for control of Eastern Aleppo from Saudi-U.S.-Turkey funded terror groups, al-Assad has the leverage to finally rid the area of insurgents. Controlling some 80% of East Aleppo, the Syrian Army with Russian and Iranian help is on the verge of evicting rebels. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said repeatedly that the war won’t end until al-Assad leaves Damascus. Fearful that she’ll lose financial backing from Riyadh, May’s reluctant to call Saudi Arabia out for anything, let alone funding-and-arming the Saudi proxy war to topple al-Assad. “There are politicians who are twisting and abusing religion and different strains of the same religion in order to further their own political objectives,” said May, not admitting that Johnson’s telling the truth about Saudi Arabia. With all the damage done from the Syrian War, you’d think May would want to stop the carnage.
U.N. officials, led by Geneva-based Syrian Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura rubber-stamped the Saudi position of expecting al-Assad to leave Damascus. Now winning the war with Russian and Iranian help, al-Assad smells victory over the Saudi’s determined six-year-old proxy war. President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State John Kerry have played around in Syria over the last six-years, talking peace, but only if al-Assad leaves Damascus. Instead of stopping the Saudi proxy war, Obama also funded-and-armed militants to topple al-Assad. Now that Saudi-U.S.-Turkey funded rebels face extinction in East Aleppo, there are more calls for a ceasefire. Obama never told the Saudis to stand down, accepting Riyadh’s High Negotiation Commissions position that al-Assad must leave Damascus for the war to end. With rebels on the ropes, it’s now possible to end the war.
When President-elect Donald Trump takes office Jan. 20, 2016, he’ll no doubt try to get London on the same page as Washington. May’s too worried about Saudi Arabia pulling cash out of London to think clearly on the Syrian War. Trump’s made clear he opposes the failed Obama strategy of backing Saudi-funded rebel groups seeking to topple al-Assad. Trump agrees with Russian President Vladimir Putin that al-Assad should stay put in Damascus until the Syrian people vote to have the government changed. Unlike Obama that drove U.S.-Russian relations to Cold War lows, Trump seeks to restore ties with Moscow. He’s of the view that a good working relationship with Russia helps stabilize hot spots around the globe, something sorely missed over the last eight years. May will see it’s in the U.K.’s national interest to end the six-year-old Saudi proxy war.
With East Aleppo in Syria about to fall, it’s time for May to get on the same page of the incoming Trump administration, opposing the six-year-old Saudi proxy war to topple al-Assad. It’s in everyone’s interests—other that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS] and other terror groups—to end the Syrian War, keeping al-Assad in power for the time being. Trump plans a major reset of U.S.-Russian relations, now that it’s clear Obama’s Syrian policy failed. “As the foreign secretary made very clear on Sunday, we are allies with Saudi Arabia and support them in their efforts to secure their borders and protect their people,” said May, skirting the issue Johnson raised about the Saudi proxy war in Syria. Calling yourself an ally of Saudi Arabia doesn’t mean you have to support Saudi’s mistakes in Syria. With Aleppo ready to fall, it’s time to end the Syrian War.
