The dramatic situation in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria - just to name a few - reminded me of the words of my Karate master who, a dozen years ago, asked during a lesson what was crucial to prevail in a comparison.
"Training?", "The belt?", "Physical strength?", "The technique?" were some of the answers that came from the deployment of the students.
The teacher, exhausted the attempts, answered slowly: "the will".
What has just been said, even if it seems to be a debut at Geller di Camera Cafè, is the key to interpreting the military crisis in the field.
The fanaticism of Isis is, however abject, a tremendous form of will. The successes that follow do not increase it, they multiply it.
Does this oppose this?
A jumble of poorly determined and above all squinting countries: we want to face the Caliphate keeping an eye on the containment of Iran and one at the fall of the Syrian leader Assad.
Jordan participates in the bombing of the Inherent Resolve operation together with the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates but at the same time finances, supports and strengthens the anti-government rebels in southern Syria.
Turkey, still accused of supporting ISIS and trading clandestinely with the Caliphate, will now support "good" (anti-government) jihadists in Syria with drones and airplanes.
In these terms the only will that opposes the cancer that is developing without control seems to me to be that of Syrian loyalists. After a quarter of a million deaths and four years of devastation we can not fail to recognize the determination of Assad's Syria to resist and fight.
And the highly trained and, above all, very equipped Iraqis?
Another teacher's teaching comes to mind: "Remember that the day you will have to defend yourself on the street the black belt will turn blue or green, a blue or green, white or yellow".
In fact, the equipment is not enough to make a soldier. And above all, when faced with people who have been fighting for years, training is not enough.
However, better to fight from blue or green than white belt.
The underlying question remains in any case one. What "will" is opposing that of ISIS?
Andrea Cucco
(in the photo Syrian soldiers)
