Keep Calm and Don't bomb Syria. London protest, November 28, 2015. Demotix/ Peter Marshall. All rights reserved.The United States and Russia have decided long ago that Isis should be fought through air strikes. The United Kingdom has followed, and France, especially after the Paris carnage, is also going along. But bombing from the air is not only ineffective; it is also counter-productive, especially against a non-territorial entity such as Isis. The few politicians in Europe that are resisting the pull of air strikes, such as Jeremy Corbyn and Matteo Renzi, appear intimidated even in stressing this very simple reality. They should instead be strongly supported with activism and intellectual arguments.
Selling the idea that air bombing will make western countries safer – as Francois Hollande and David Cameron currently do – is simply a lie.Northern powers should have learnt that aerial bombing is not precise enough to target criminals. None of the perpetrators of the Paris massacre would have been hit by aerial bombing carried out in Syria or in the other territories controlled by Isis. Western powers should have learnt this lesson long ago: air strikes do not manage to eliminate actual or potential terrorists or suicide bombers. Neither the suicide attackers of 9/11 nor their principals would have been reached by aerial bombing. United States intelligence knows these limits very well. When they wanted to kill Osama bin Laden, the most valuable target, they did not use air bombing but a sophisticated land operation. The March 2004 Madrid and the London July 2005 attackers were next door terrorists: they were not trained overseas but inside the country and any preventive action of war would have been totally ineffective. Selling the idea that air strikes will make western countries safer – as Francois Hollande and David Cameron currently do – is simply a lie.
But bombing is also counter-productive. Rather than demoralizing terrorist groups such as Isis or Al Qaeda, it might increase their recruitment. More individuals may volunteer to take any action able of damaging ‘the West’. Aerial bombing is, in fact, the typical demonstration of the military and technological supremacy of the North on the rest. Those who bomb undertake minimal risks, especially when they target factions and groups that do not have airplanes or flak. It is an act of violence exercised against enemies that could not react at the same level. On the ground this generates a sense of impotence which starts a perverse reaction. Neutral individuals may perceive it as indiscriminate acts of aggression and their resentment may lead to all sorts of retaliatory actions. It is impossible to penetrate the sick mentality of the terrorists (and often suicide bombers) of New York, Washington, Madrid, London or Paris, just to cite the major western cities that have been targeted. But I would not be surprised if the criminals will declare that they considered their actions a form of retaliation for the real and supposed damages inflicted on the communities they belong to. Aerial bombing is, in fact, the typical demonstration of the military and technological supremacy of the North on the rest.
