Jihad coming to America

That’s right, GCHQ, you heard me correctly. Jihad Makdissi, Syria’s former foreign affairs spokesman is reportedly fleeing to – indeed, may have arrived in – the USA.  It is ironic that with a first name of Jihad, he is actually a Christian.  As a spokesman, he is unlikely to have what the Syrian National Coalition call ‘blood on his hands’ and so may play a part in any future government.  Some members of the regime will, nay, must, be engaged in a post-Bashar al-Assad future once the Syrian president falls, as the example of Iraq in the wake of the 2003 invasion shows.  It is interesting that, according to Russia, Assad believes that not only is victory impossible but also escape. Does he fear being shot in the back, proverbially, if he tries to flee.  At the very least he should send his children out of the country – they need not grow up like him, as the children of Idi Amin have proved – yet, were this to become public, it would be another blow to morale in the forces defending his regime.