You are correct...

Its because it happened in the past.

World politics is a dirty business and always has been. Atrocities can be accepted if the overall influence of a certain regime is in line with what the rest of the world want for a region such as the middle east. Despite what we have been told, what history really teaches us is that at times (as mentioned) "tyrants" such as the Shah, Hussain, Gadaffi, Assad et al have suited the rest of the world (not just the west) as they stabilised the balance of power in the region preventing larger scale conflicts between nations.

And he who doesn't learn from it is condemned to repeat it.

Especially true of Afghanistan.

We had three goes at it previously, even the might of the Soviet army couldn't manage Afghanistan. I don't think anyone has ever successfully prosecuted a conflict in Afghanistan.

You're not into satire / extreme irony then?

Send a strongly worded letter, stating our dislike of what they are doing and ask them politely to stop.

Then, sit on the fence for a few more years.

What would you do – and would you also do something about all the conflicts FA linked to or just the one that's currently on our TVs?

If you don't think we should interfere in the others, why not? Why would Syria be more 'important' or whatever?

In other words, you haven't a clue what you would do. Right?

Yes. [url=http://viewtopic.php?tsmp=1338382800&p=16930995&sid=aedefe3b2c04d3c9315330d13b0fc12b&tsmp=1338382841#p16930995That's what I said earlier.[/url

I do know, however, what NOT to do.

Are you in favour of us getting into another war, then?

And if so, can you answer the questions I just posted?

We've got a very long history of allowing Middle Eastern dictators to commit atrocities and as Rober Fisk says: [url=http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-west-is-horrified-by-childrens-slaughter-now-soon-well-forget-7794149.htmlAl Assad will get away with it and we'll all forget about it[/url

He does not, however, suggest a solution and, indeed, touches on the problems that interference have caused.

I very much suspect many would prefer Assad to remain in power anyway – better the devil you know etc – especially with the growing political power of the Muslim Brotherhood (and others) in Egypt and questions still waiting to be answered about what that will mean.

Fisk is right, but I completely disagree that we are "allowing" anything. In the context of all the various things which are going on in many sovereign states around the globe, saying we are "allowing" all those things is not a fair or correct use of "allowing". They aren't under our control.