They Should Pound Gaza And Raqqa Into A Parking Lot - As Suggested By Quinn In Homeland, Donald Trump Take Note

Robert Spencer : By Hugh Fitzgerald: “Forse che sì, forse che no” — Maybe Yes, and Maybe No — is the memorable motto that Federico II of the House of Gonzaga, that ruled over Mantua for centuries, took from a “frottola” or ditty that was sung in the early 16th century. It could be used today to describe the reading of tea-leaves that is going on all over the place as the world tries to figure out what will become of Syria under the new regime.

Quinn tells it like it is in Syria, die for the Caliphate and to usher it into the world without infidels, it's been that way since the 7th Century

Should we look at its leader Ahmad al-Sharaa’s jihadist past, with ties to Al-Qaeda and even to ISIS, or believe his recent assurances that he’s undergone a kind of Pauline conversion on the road to Damascus, has severed all ties to such groups, and wants to reassure all of Syria’s many non-Sunni minorities — Alawites, non-Alawite Shi’a, Kurds, Christians, Druze — that they will receive treatment equal to that given to Sunni Muslims? Or should we suspect that Al-Shaara may only be deceiving us in order to receive Western aid to help rebuild his ruined country? Or could he be on the level, but for that very reason is in danger of being overthrown by jihadists in HTS, or in other rebel groups, so it would be folly to pin our hopes only on the continued leadership of Ahmad Al-Shaara? 

Here’s one more news item to ponder — the new rulers in Damascus have appointed a half-dozen non-Syrians to high posts in the Syrian army, including three who were made brigadier-generals. They have been described as “foreign jihadists” by spokesmen of HTS. More on these appointments can be found here: “Syria appoints some foreign Islamist fighters to its military, sources say,” by Timour Azhari, Khalil Ashawi and Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters, December 30, 2024:

Syria‘s new rulers have installed some foreign fighters including Uyghurs, a Jordanian, and a Turk in the country’s armed forces as Damascus tries to shape a patchwork of rebel groups into a professional military, two Syrian sources said.

The move to give official roles, including senior ones, to several jihadists may alarm some foreign governments and Syrian citizens fearful about the new administration’s intentions, despite its pledges not to export Islamic revolution and to rule with tolerance towards Syria‘s large minority groups….

The sources said that out of a total of almost 50 military roles announced by the Defense Ministry on Sunday, at least six had gone to foreigners. “This is a small token of recognition for the sacrifices Islamist jihadists gave to our struggle for freedom from Assad’s oppression,” an HTS source told Reuters….

“Islamist jihadists.” Nota bene. If you were not yourself a jihadist — which Al-Sharra claims he no longer is — would you allow “jihadists,” as HTS describes them, to take high-ranking posts in the army? Something to worry about.

These foreign appointees to high posts in the Syrian military are united by a strong faith in Islam, and a deep commitment to helping other Sunni Muslims living, and fighting, beyond those appointees’ own national borders.

Should we be worried that such appointments go against the assurances we have been given by Al-Sharaa that he is interested only in the wellbeing and unity of the Syrian state, and has no interest in establishing a caliphate?

I can only answer “Forse che sì, forse che no.”

And that is likely to be the answer for many months of Syrian uncertainty to come.