While the world’s gaze if fixed on London and the Olympics, in Syria, the battle for Aleppo has well and truly begun. This is clearly an attempt by the Assad regime to reassert itself after the bombings and raids into Damascus that knocked it so badly off-balance. So, it is a crucial battle, whichever side wins will have the momentum in the conflict and a possibly decisive tactical advantage. You can’t help but feel that if Assad and his loyal forces win that the retribution against the city itself and the Syrian people in general will be swift and bloody and although it may be far away from here and seemingly a world away from the glitz and glamour of London, the repercussions will inevitably be felt eventually on British shores. Continue reading →