Better the Devil You Know?

It seems most of the usual suspects are cheering on the coup against the Assad regime of Syria.

They are right to be opposed to his brutal administration, but like many things in the Middle East, the replacement may be even worse.

The fact that the rebels were cheered on so forcefully by the United States suggests to me that there was some covert (CIA) support for the coup.

That would serve two purposes.

Firstly, it diminishes the influence of Iran and Russia, who were very supportive of Assad.

Secondly, it opens up the opportunity for a gas pipeline to run through Syria to serve the demands of Europe.

This was the underlying reason for the Syrian war some years ago and eventually gave rise to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group.

It would be naive to think the remnants of ISIS extremists aren't part of this latest rebel push, as not all of them were granted asylum in Australia!

What happens if they gain power and begin to influence regional events?

It wouldn't be the first time that CIA-backed rebels became enemies of America.

One just has to look at Afghanistan to understand how that can work out.