Robert Fisk — Iran to send 4,000 troops to aid President Assad forces in Syria

World Exclusive: US urges UK and France to join in supplying arms to Syrian rebels as MPs fear that UK will be drawn into growing conflict...

For the first time, all of America’s ‘friends’ in the region are Sunni Muslims and all of its enemies are Shiites. Breaking all President Barack Obama’s rules of disengagement, the US is now fully engaged on the side of armed groups which include the most extreme Sunni Islamist movements in the Middle East.

The Independent on Sunday has learned that a military decision has been taken in Iran – even before last week’s presidential election – to send a first contingent of 4,000 Iranian Revolutionary Guards to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against the largely Sunni rebellion that has cost almost 100,000 lives in just over two years.  Iran is now fully committed to preserving Assad’s regime, according to pro-Iranian sources which have been deeply involved in the Islamic Republic’s security, even to the extent of proposing to open up a new ‘Syrian’ front on the Golan Heights against Israel....

Iran is going to take the offensive.  Even for the Middle East, these are high stakes. 

Proxy conflict set to become full-on hot war among the major parties and their allies?

This article is a good summation of the geopolitics of the region and the geo-strategies of the parties to the conflict, especially the US, Russia, Iran, and Israel. Washington seems fully committed, to the extent of allying itself with Sunni Al Qaeda against Shiite Iran while simultaneously fighting with it.

Better stock in some beer with the popcorn on this one. It promises to be tense.

The Independent (UK)
Iran to send 4,000 troops to aid President Assad forces in Syria
Robert Fisk

Who knew that Obama was a believer in Realpolitik? Actually, it was entirely predictable from is putting pragmatism over principle.