CrossTalk: Syrian War Outcome

‘Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. What could the possible outcome regarding the Syrian Civil War be? Does the US really want Russia to be part of a negotiated settlement? Is the Syrian opposition becoming more dangerous to the US and its allies? CrossTalking with Ariel Cohen and Nabil Mikhail (15 May 2013)’.

U.S. Propaganda on CNN: Amber Lyon’s Testimony

The Syrian Arab News Agency posted this recently: ‘Ex-CNN reporter Amber Lyon revealed that during her work for the channel she received orders to send false news and exclude some others which the US administration did not favor with the aim to create a public opinion in favor of launching an aggression on Iran and Syria. Lyon was quoted by the Slovak main news website as saying that the mainstream US media outlets intentionally work to create a propaganda against Iran to garner public opinion’s support for a military invasion against it. She revealed that the scenario used before launching the war on Iraq is being prepared to be repeated where Iran and Syria are now being subject to constant ‘demonization’. The former reporter clarified that the CNN channel manipulates and fabricates news and follows selectiveness when broadcasting news, stressing that the Channel receives money from the U.S. government and other countries’ governments in exchange for news content’.[1]

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[1] H. Said, “Ex-CNN Reporter: I Received Orders to Manipulate News to Demonize Syria and Iran” Syrian Arab News Agency (30 March 2013). http://sana.sy/eng/22/2013/03/30/475112.htm.

Democracy Now! and Robert Fisk: Syria’s War

‘As the United States moves toward increased intervention in Syria, we’re joined by Robert Fisk, the longtime Middle East correspondent of the British newspaper The Independent. Just back from two weeks in Syria reporting around the capital Damascus, Fisk discusses what he calls the “theater of chemical weapons,” the latest in Syria’s civil war — a battle he says the Syrian government is winning — as well as his reaction to what he calls President Obama’s “pitiful” backing of the recent Israeli missile strikes. “Don’t ask me if they have used chemical weapons,” Fisk says. “It’s conceivable. There really isn’t any proof. What you have got to realize is that this is a propaganda war just as much as it is a savage war, killing many thousands of human beings” (7 May 2013)’.

Chemical Weapons in Syria

 

TRNN: Turkey, Israel and the Wider Middle East

‘Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Israel needed Obama to broker Turkey deal as Netanyahu’s policies and unstable region put Israel in a precarious position (25 March 2013)’.

Red Lines & Patriots: Iran, Turkey and Syria

On Sunday, 20 January, the news agency Reuters reports that a ‘senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader warned against the overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, saying his fate was a “red line”, in one of the Islamic state’s strongest messages of support for the Damascus government. Iran has steadfastly backed Assad’s rule since an uprising against his rule began almost two years ago and regards him as an important part of the axis of opposition against arch-foe Israel’.[1]  Following President Obama’s much-publicised declaration that Assad’s use of chemical weapons against his adversaries would constitute a red line, now finally, President Assad’s only regional allies have come out with their own declaration. Speaking on Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen satellite television, Ali Akbar Velayati, who could very well be Ahmadinejad’s successor in June, declared the following: “If the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is toppled, the line of resistance in the face of Israel will be broken . . . We believe that there should be reforms emanating from the will of the Syrian people, but without resorting to violence and obtaining assistance from the (United States of) America”.[2]

It is assumed that about 60,000 people have perished in Syria as a result of the violent opposition to the Assad regime, which the mainstream media are at pains to portray as yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of the Arab Awakening. As I pointed out in a piece published in Hürriyet Daily News, it would even be foolhardy to regard these uprisings across the wider Arab world as spontaneous emanations of any popular will.[3]  Even so, it seems to me that the situation in Syria is in many ways similar to the violent “Assisted Rebellion” in Libya, as an orchestrated uprising that could be seen as a proxy-conflict in the New Cold War between the U.S., its NATO allies and the up and coming superpowers of Russia and China, while at the same also targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran.[4]

At the same time, Turkey, that appears to have been part of the Syrian conflict since the very beginning,[5] is now in the process of receiving the promised Patriot missiles to “protect” its borders against Syrian incursions: ‘Germany has sent 240 soldiers to southern Turkey as part of a NATO mission using Patriot missiles to deter cross-border airstrikes from war-torn Syria. Units are also being provided by the Netherlands and the US. The main German contingent flew out of Berlin Sunday [, 20 January], headed for Kahramanmaras, 100 kilometers (62 miles) inside Turkey’s border with Syria, where two German Patriot units are to be fully operational by early February [2013]. An advance Bundeswehr team is already on site and the missiles with launch equipment arrived by ship in Turkey on Monday [, 21 January]. The deployment will number some 350 German soldiers, including medics’, as reported by the Deutsche Welle.[6]  Using a somewhat warped form of logic, German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere explains that these Patriot missiles are supposed to produce a “deescalating effect” on the Assad regime. The Minister explained further that “We learnt during the Cold War that deterrence can only function when in doubtful moments one is ready to use the weapons . . . Should Syrian rockets be fired at Turkey then NATO will use the Patriot missiles”.[7]

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[1] “Assad’s overthrow “red line” for Iran: supreme leader’s aide” Reuters (20 Jan 2013). http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/20/us-syria-crisis-iran-idUSBRE90J08320130120.

[2] “Assad’s overthrow “red line” for Iran: supreme leader’s aide”.

[3] Cfr. C. Erimtan, “Behind the scenes of Egypt’s revolution”. http://tiny.cc/fz7tf.

[4] Cfr. C. Erimtan, “The Arab Awakening and the never-ending Cold War”. http://tiny.cc/p7q3b.

[5] Cfr. “Op-Ed: The Road to Intervention in Syria” A Pseudo-Ottoman Blog (06 June 2012). http://sitanbul.wordpress.com/2012/06/06/op-ed-the-road-to-intervention-in-syria/.

[6] “German Patriot missile troops arrive in Turkey” Deutsche Welle (21 Jan 2013). http://www.dw.de/german-patriot-missile-troops-arrive-inturkey/a-16536356.

[7] “German Patriot missile troops arrive in Turkey”.

The War in Syria: Foreign Fighters and Sectarian Divisions

Over the past months, I have oftentimes spoken about the numerous foreign fighters active in Syria. Now, Jason Ditz details on the website AntiWar that a “report by the UN says that rebel fighters have come from 29 countries, and are overwhelmingly Sunnis flocking to the nation to fight against the Alawite President Bashar Assad”.[1]  The Turco-U.S. and Saudi-Qatari axis has been providing support for activists bent on turning the conflict into sectarian battle between Sunni Muslim opposed to the Alawite rulers of the Syrian Republic. Ditz, in turn, relies on Reuter’s appropriately titled piece ‘Foreign fighters fuel the sectarian flames in Syria’. The authors, Justyna Pawlak and Stephanie Nebehay state that the “deepened sectarian divisions in Syria may diminish prospects for post-conflict reconciliation even if President Bashar al-Assad is toppled. And the influx of foreign fighters raises the risk of the war spilling into neighbouring countries”.[2]  Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon now do really appear to be in the firing line. Turkey’s long-standing conflict with the PKK could get a shot in the arm by the Kurdish fighters in Syria and the stance taken by the neighbouring KRG. Iraq, on the other hand, is experiencing its own tensions between Shi’ite and Sunni elements, Arab and Kurdish leaders against the backdrop of the unevenly divided oil wealth underground. Lebanon has been a powder keg for years and any spark could trigger a new civil war or power struggle. And then there is Israel and the Palestinians who are also being sucked into the fight.

UN human rights investigators led by Brazilian expert Paulo Pinheiro have now stated that the “battles between government forces and anti-government armed groups [now] approach the end of their second year, [and currently, ] the conflict has become overtly sectarian in nature”.[3]  According to some, such as the outspoken critic Sibel Edmonds and the investigative Voltaire Network‘s Thierry Meyssan, the whole struggle against Assad has been an orchestrated affair from the very beginning with outside players, like the Sunni states Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey overtly and/or covertly supporting a U.S.-led agenda to effect regime change in Syria. After two years of a primarily undecided armed confrontation, the true colours of the “foreign” forces at work against secular and Alawite-led Baath regime in Syria are beginning to shine through. Karen Abuzayd, a member of the group of UN human rights investigators, characterises the anti-Assad foreign fighters in the following way: “They come from all over, Europe and America, and especially the neighbouring countries”.[4]  Conversely, the Baath regime is also able to count on some supporters: the report notes that ‘the Lebanese Shia group, Hezbollah . . . confirmed that group members were in Syria fighting on behalf of Assad’, while ‘reports of Iraqi Shia coming to fight [in Syria have also been heard, while] . . . Iran, a close ally of Assad, confirmed in September [2012] that its Revolutionary Guards were in Syria providing assistance’.[5]

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[1] Jason Ditz, “UN: Syria’s Rebels Come From 29 Countries” AntiWar (20 Dec 2012). http://news.antiwar.com/2012/12/20/un-syrias-rebels-come-from-29-countries/.

[2] Justyna Pawlak and Stephanie Nebehay, “Foreign fighters fuel the sectarian flames in Syria” The Independent (20 September 2012). http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/foreign-fighters-fuel-the-sectarian-flames-in-syria-8427986.html.

[3] Justyna Pawlak and Stephanie Nebehay, “Foreign fighters fuel the sectarian flames in Syria”.

[4] Justyna Pawlak and Stephanie Nebehay, “Foreign fighters fuel the sectarian flames in Syria”.

[5] Justyna Pawlak and Stephanie Nebehay, “Foreign fighters fuel the sectarian flames in Syria”.

Turkey-Syria Update: Panetta, Robert Ford and Francis Ricciardone

‘US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta landed Friday [, 14 Dec] at the Incirlik air base in Turkey that hosts US troops, as part of a tour that has also taken him to Afghanistan and Kuwait. The visit by the US defence chief comes a week after NATO approved Turkey’s request for Patriot missiles to defend its border with its war-torn neighbour Syria. A report in the New York Times on Friday said that the US plans to send two Patriot missile batteries and 400 personnel to Turkey’.[1]

‘The Times said the move is part of a larger effort to beef up Turkey’s defenses as the civil war in neighboring Syria grows more violent, with another four Patriot batteries expected to be supplied by Germany and the Netherlands. The report comes after US officials said Syria launched a number of Scud missiles in recent days, and amid heightened fears that it could resort to using its vast chemical weapons arsenal against advancing rebels. Turkey has strongly backed the 21-month-old rebellion against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but fears he could lash out against it in desperation if the conflict grinds on. US officials could not immediately be reached to comment on the Times report’.[2]

How will stationing these Patriots on the Turco-Syrian border affect the actions of either the Assad forces or the “rebel” (read ‘terrorist’) FSA???  And what would be the likelihood of the conflict spilling over into Turkish territory???  One of the main U.S. actors in this conflict, Ambassador Robert Ford, also made a brief appearance on Turkish soil on that same Friday, the 14^th: Robert Stephen Ford flew in from Damascus to meet with the U.S. Ambassador in Ankara, Francis Ricciardone. Together these men reiterated the U.S. position that Assad has to go, nothing less will do.[3]  According to Hürriyet’s Zeynep Şafak, Robert Ford stated that Assad does not shy away from killing his own people and that his swift exit from the scene would be desirable, the sooner the better, as it seems clear that he is in no position to win the on-going conflict. Ford added that up to 210 million U.S. $ have so far been deployed, in conjunction with the United Nation, the Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent, to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people.[4]

Ambassador Ford’s propagandistic statement ring particularly hollow against the backdrop of atrocities committed by the Western-backed FSA and other opposition forces. Here is, for example, a report filed by the generally anti-Assad Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera: ‘In Syria, Al Jazeera has visited a village in Idlib province which was once home to the Alawite community, the sect of President Bashar al-Assad. They fled when opposition forces pushed into their territory, the fighters say the Alawites have been working with the government, and have blood on their hands as well. Zeina Khodr reports from the IdlibProvince inside Syria (16 Dec 2012)’.

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[1] “U.S. Defense Secretary visits Turkey’s İncirlik base” AFP (14 Dec 2012). http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-defense-secretary-visits-turkeys-incirlik-base.aspx?pageID=238&nID=36830&NewsCatID=338.

[2] “U.S. Defense Secretary visits Turkey’s İncirlik base”.

[3] Zeynep Şafak, “ABD Büyükelçileri konuştu” Hürriyet (14 December 2012). http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/22160574.aspç

[4] Zeynep Şafak, “ABD Büyükelçileri konuştu”.

The Arab Awakening: The plan to destabilize Syria

A report by Thierry Meyssan, in which he describes the efforts put by certain western governments in an attempt to overthrow the political system in the country in assistance with their Arab agents in the region.

(22 August 2011)

At the same time, Haytham Manna, a spokesman for Syria’s National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, declared that “These people [Saudi mercenaries] are destroying Syria . . . Unfortunately, there are political players, such as Turkey, who allow them to invade Syria”.[1]  The Russian news and information agency RIA Novosti concludes that ‘[s]everal Syrian opposition groups have contended for the opportunity to represent the anti-government movement in the struggle. However, an array of countries, including the European Union, have recognized only the Syrian National Council. Anti-government rebel forces have been locked into a protracted civil war with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The UN has estimated that nearly 40,000 have died since the fighting began in March 2011’.[2]

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[1] “Syrian Opposition Accuses Turkey of Allowing Mercenaries” RIANovosti (28 November 2012). http://en.rian.ru/world/20121128/177799664.html.

[2] “Syrian Opposition Accuses Turkey of Allowing Mercenaries”.

Breaking the Set: 9/11 First Responders, US Funds Syrian Opposition, Food Stamps

‘On this episode of Breaking the Set, Abby Martin highlights Newark Mayor, Cory Booker, as the hero of the day for raising awareness of the 850,000 people in New Jersey who face hunger every day, and calls out white house advisor Bob Ryan for being the perfect example of the revolving door relationship between Washington and Wall Street Banks. Abby then talks to 9/11 first responder Michael McPhillips about the Zadroga Act and the delay to the funding that first responders not only need, but deserve. BTS wraps up the show with an interview with Syrian Blogger, Mimi al Laham, about the civil war in Syria and how to break through the propaganda and misconceptions of the crisis’.