Every means possible should of course be explored to protect Syrian civilians from the various foreigners waging war in their country (Editorial, 2 October).
However, having asserted that removing Assad is a precondition for ending the war, you have a duty to explain what the alternative is. Your front-page story (Putin moves to prop up Assad, 2 October) refers to armed groups targeted by Russia but supported by the US: who are Liwa Suqour al-Jabal? Tajamu al-Izzah? Why are the US and its allies helping them wage this war? What kind of Syria do they want? Do they have more popular support for their programmes than Assad for his? Given the sustained invasion of Syria by foreign Salafists, are they even Syrian?
We have had “Saddam must go” and “Gaddafi must go”: surely opinion-makers and commentators cannot repeat those failed mantras without being quite clear about an alternative that does not mean complete chaos and unending bloodshed?
Peter McKenna
Liverpool
• So, only the US is allowed to bomb an Arab country, Iraq, to prop up its pro-US leadership? A moment’s intelligent reflection would show that Isis cannot be defeated while proxies and mercenaries, America’s “moderate opposition”, fight it out among themselves in Syria, creating perfect conditions for Isis to take over.
Ghada Karmi
London
• Many reading your front-page report that explained some rebel groups in Syria have “received training by the CIA” will be confused after a Guardian editorial (4 September) referred in passing to “the refusal [of the west] to intervene against Bashar al-Assad”. In reality, as the Washington Post, quoting US officials, reported in June, “the CIA has trained and equipped nearly 10,000 fighters sent into Syria over the past several years”.
Ian Sinclair
London
• If the west wants to get President Putin on board for its approach to Syria it should consider doing a deal with him over the Crimea (Opinion, 3 October). Realistically, despite being illegal under international law, the Russian occupation of the Crimea is a fait accompli and is not going to be reversed. The west should offer to legitimise this situation in return for a coordinated policy on Syria and Ukraine.
George Healy
London
