The Western response to the Russian air campaign in Syria provokes a sense of deja vu.
In
every respect it is identical to the Western response to the Russian
campaign in Chechnya in 1999. In the weeks following the start of that
campaign Western pundits made a host of claims and predictions. They
claimed the Russian airforce was bombing civilians, and accused Russia’s
leadership of war crimes. They said Russian military action would
radicalise the population, turning it against Russia. They predicted
more terrorist attacks against Russia, and predicted Russia’s defeat.
All these claims and predictions proved wrong.
