A new video has emerged of Al Nusra fighters beheading two Christians, including a priest, somewhere with in Syria.
WARNING: VIDEO IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC
This of course is just one video in a litany of videos coming out a Syria depicting the “rebels” committing brutal acts of violence. It’s obvious from the YouTube video that many of these “rebels” are not in fact Syrian or even Arab. Instead we see men, and children possibly as young as three, who appear to be from Central Asia or the Caucus region. Yet again, this video demonstrates the complete delusion among those who continue to portray the war in Syria as some sort of struggle between the good Syrian rebels and the evil Assad regime. Instead this is a struggle to destabilize the nation of Syria on behalf of America, Israel, Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia, so as to reshape the Middle East to benefit there desired goals of global hegemony. When Obama and other tyrants pledge money and arms to “rebels” these are the people they are talking about. To spite the corporate medias attempts to rewrite history, many are now aware of the strong connections between the U.S. government and Islamic terrorists such as Al Qaeda. As was the case in Afghanistan in the 1980’s history repeats it self here in Syria; with the CIA taking the lead in funding and training their Jihadist assets in the Muslim world.
Some of the global imperialists have even publicly acknowledged there love of Al Qaeda and their ilk. Chief among them is the blood thirsty Arizona senator John McCain, who before meeting with terrorists in Syria, told Charlie Rose that such acts as depicted in the above video we’re “isolated incidents of people who have just gotten so battle-hardened and angry and this happens in warfare.” He went even further when he said he would prefer some sort of Wahabbist Al Qaeda government taking power in Syria because they wouldn’t be allied to Iran and Hezbollah. Straight from the warmongers mouth. The fight in Syria has nothing do do with democracy or humanitarian relief. It has everything to do with the destruction of Syria by means of Islamic terrorist proxy armies so as to control the Middle East.
Hillary Clinton always manages to out do herself with a relentless litany of contradictions. Our supposed democracy loving Secretary of State told reporters at a news conference in Pretoria that
We have to send very clear expectations about avoiding sectarian warfare. Those who are attempting to exploit the situation by sending in proxies or terrorist fighters must realize that will not be tolerated,
Well it seems that Secretary Clinton ether forgot or is unaware that this is precisely what the United States is doing in Syria. It’s unlikely that she is unaware or forgot as she is one of the principle officials pushing this policy in Syria. Using the CIA to funnel arms and equipment to rebels so as to overthrow Assad and weaken Iran is the definition of using proxies. Furthermore, using these proxies is only exacerbating the sectarian strife in Syria. The administrations support of Sunni’s is shifting the conflict further in a direction which pits Sunni’s against Christians and Alawites.
Now if a big bad Republican had said this Democrats would be screaming bloody murder. And herein lies the problem with liberals. They are perfectly content with calling out conservatives when they advocate dangerous and illegal policies, but they are unable to reprimand their own people for doing the same thing. If a war criminal like George W. Bush had done this it would have been very bad. When the great liberal savior Barack Obama does it it’s different because he is doing it with good intentions. At least Republicans have the decency to be upfront and admit that their awful policies are aimed at ensuring American imperialism and hegemony over the world. Democrats hide behind the veil of humanitarianism and human rights when implementing their domineering foreign policy.
When Bush claimed to be bringing democracy to Iraq anyone with half a brain was able to see that this wasn’t the case. Instead it had everything to do with getting rid of someone who didn’t submit and play by Americas rules, and putting in place a puppet beholden to the United States and it’s interests. To a lesser extent is also
had to do ridding the region of Israel’s only real adversary. Unsurprisingly this didn’t turn out the way it was planned. Instead Saddam was replaced with another authoritarian leader who has exacerbated sectarian and ethnic tensions far beyond Saddam. Maliki is not beholden to anyone except his own desire for power. He has become increasingly close with America
and Israel’s sworn enemy Iran. The Obama administrations goal in Syria has a much to do with human rights and democracy as Bush’s Iraq strategy did. The real goals in Syria are two fold. Weaken and isolate Iran, and slow down the Arab Spring by putting in place an American stooge that will look out for America not Syria’s interests. Liberals and Democrats need to wake up to this sooner rather than later. In a few months it may not be possible to undo a civil war that will engulf the entire region.
The above video allegedly shows the FSA executing regime loyalists. Those being executed are most likely members of the powerful al-Barri family. The al-Barri family is a wealthy Sunni clan in Syria which has been loyal to the regime for some time. A few days ago a newly elected Syrian MP was publicly executed by the FSA in Aleppo. This MP was named Zeino al-Barri. It is safe to say that the huge extended al-Barri family will never be on the side of the FSA and those trying to overthrow Assad. It is also safe to say that the FSA committed a war crime here. Thats the same FSA that John McCain and Anne-Marie Slaughter and all the other warmongers in Washington want the United States to arm and fully support. These are the gallant freedom fighters that deserve our help and money.
Since the beginning of the Arab Spring Turkey has been singing the praises of those fighting for freedom in countries such as Egypt and Yemen. When it comes to their neighbor Syria, Turkey has taken a very strong tone in terms of their support. Turkey has been hosting both the Syrian National Council as well as the Free Syrian Army. As Al Akhbar reports today, Turkey has set up a secret military base with the support of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. This base is being used by Turkey to coordinate FSA attacks in Syria. One of the unintended consequences of Turkeys meddling in Syria is the recent development of an autonomous Syrian Kurdistan. Assad has handed over power of Syria’s Kurdish region to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party (PYD). The PYD has ties to the PKK in Turkey, which Ankara designates as a terrorist group.
Part of the reason for Assad’s handing over of power to the PYD is due to the need for more military personal in Aleppo. Assad has removed soldiers form its Kurdish region to fight the Turkish backed FSA in the pitched battle in Syria’s largest city. Unsurprisingly Turkey has declared that it will intervene in Syria so as not to let this “terrorist” group gain a foot hold. Prime Minister Erdogan told Turkish TV that “We will not allow a terrorist group to establish camps in northern Syria and threaten Turkey.”
If this strikes you as hypocritical thats because it is. Turkey is in favor of toppling Assad and brining democracy to Syria only if they can control the outcome. Turkey wants a Sunni dominated Syria that will be subservient to Turkey. Erdogan calling the Syrian Kurds terrorists is also laughable while he is openly funding Sunni extremists carrying out bombings in Syria. What happens when the Kurds in Turkey start demanding the freedom that their brothers in Syria gained? Will Turkey respond like Assad, with bullets and bombs?
Fighting in Tajikistan has flared up between rebels and the government in the southern province of Gorno-Badakhshan. The fierce government led attack was believed to be a response to the stabbing of a top security official. The stabbing was blamed on the rebel groups loyal to Tolib Ayombekov operating in Gorno-Badakhshan. Gorno-Badakhshan is a semi-autonomous region within Tajikistan. During the brutal Tajik civil war, in which 50,000 are said to have died, those within Gorno-Badakhshan were granted a degree of autonomy. A UN brokered peace deal brought the Islamist rebel leader and warlord, Tolib Ayombekov, into the ruling government. The ruling governments 2010 campaign to rid the country of Islamists has made the situation in Gorno-Badakhshan extremely tense. President Emomali Rakhmon has been trying to consolidate power by squeezing out the Islamists.
Tajikistan is the poorest of all the Central Asian nations. It shares a huge border with Afghanistan, houses a significant number of Islamist fighters, and is the main transshipment point for Afghan heroin. According to the CIA World Fact Book, Tajikistan”…seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium);”
With the situation in Afghanistan inching towards civil war, and Tajiks making up the largest minority in Afghanistan, we should be very concerned with this latest spate of violence. Cross border violence alone could reach a staggering number. Americans should also be concerned with our increasingly close relationship with this corrupt and authoritarian country and the effect on American security. Our past dealings with secular dictators who oppress Muslims has not exactly turned out well for America.
Media coverage during any conflict is always fraught with propaganda and distortions. The civil war in Syria is no different. In an age where most people receive their news from television, the various media outlets reporting on Syria have been plagued with biased views of the situation.
At one time Al Jazeera was seen as a bastion of independent journalism in the Middle East. Their coverage of the Iraq War and the Egyptian revolution were hailed by many in the region for their fair and unbiased reporting. Unfortunately this is not the case in Syria. As the below news segment demonstrates, Al Jazeera’s coverage has been co-opted by the Qatari government. They are still framing the narrative as a fight between good and evil. The FSA in the minds of Al Jazeera is a galant and brave rebel army fighting the evil Assad regime. As the Syrian National Council lackey says, the just FSA is retreating from their newly conquered territories in Damascus, so as to protect the civilian population. Note too, that all of this information is gained through YouTube videos, and reporters from neighboring countries. The great Arab news outlet doesn’t have anyone on the ground.
Russia Today’s coverage of the Syrian civil war is much more nuanced. RT is funded by the Kremlin, so there is a bias and slant to their coverage. But if people are willing to eat up Qatari and Western propaganda, why not eat some Russian as well. RT manages to frame the narrative is more realistic manner. This is no longer a peaceful protest movement. Instead this is a civil war in which a plethora of factions are all vying for power. No one controls the country. RT is also quick to point out that the Syrian National Council has no serious backing within Syria. Most importantly RT actually has someone there on the ground in Damascus with the FSA. They don’t have a correspondent in Beirut Skyping with activists in Syria.
Take any and all coverage of Syria with a grain of salt. With that in mind though, seek out a variety of media coverage.
Piggybacking on my last post regarding the conflicting reports out of Syria, Turkish Newspaper Today’s Zaman, reported today that the recent downing of a Turkish fighter jet was not caused by Syria. Officials in Turkey are disregarding the militaries investigation. They are still holding onto the notion that the jet was shot down by Syria in international waters. All despite the fact that no missiles were detected by the radar system on board the Turkish jet or Turkish land radar systems. It’s worth noting that American officials did not completely believe the Turkish explanation for what happened to the jet. Yet America is willing to believe any Syrian activist who says something negative about the Assad regime.
Charles Ble Goude, head of the ultranationalist Young Patriots, has resurfaced. Ble Goude fled Cote d’Ivore during the recent conflict between the north and south in 2010-2011. As head of the Young Patriots Ble Goude was instrumental in rallying thousands of young Ivorians to fight northern rebels. Ostensibly the Young Patriots were the youth wing of former President Gbagbo’s party. In reality it was a militia that was responsible for the deaths of countless Ivorian’s and foreigners. Ble Goude has been silent for over a year. Sightings of him have been reported in Ghana, Liberia,Togo, Gambia and Angola. In his telephone interview with the AP he never revealed his location; although poor reception on the phone line suggests he is not in a populated area. His interview seemed only to serve as a platform from which to proclaim his innocence.
“Can you show me a single video, or a single audio, where I asked the youth of Ivory Coast to hurt foreigners?”
“I organized a struggle with bare hands in order to oppose the taking of power by the arms. Madam, is this something that should result in me going to the International Criminal Court?”
“I have said it, and I repeat it – If I am asked to go to the ICC, I’m ready to go to the ICC.”
“What you are saying is totally removed from reality. I never asked the young people to put up checkpoints in order to identify the foreigners – that’s not true!”
“The young people they put up checkpoints to see if the people living in their neighborhoods, or in different neighborhoods, are armed or not … I never asked anybody to put up barricades so as to control the foreigners. This isn’t true! It’s your own invention.”
There is no doubt that northern rebels, aided by France and the UN, committed horrible war crimes. Nonetheless Ble Goude has a lot of blood on his hands. After one such speech, in which Ble Goude urged Young Patriots to man road blocks, an estimated 32 foreign immigrants were killed according to Human Rights Watch. HRW reported that 14 of the victims were brutally killed; with some being set in fire.
Yemen’s army has claimed to be fighting of an onslaught of Al Qaeda militants in its southern region. Fighting in and around Aden has been raging for months following Ali Abdullah Saleh’s transfer of power. Yemen has falsely been using this narrative to suppress secessionist protesters in the south of the country.
Until 1990 Yemen was divided into two separate nations, with the south being ruled as a quasi-Marxist state. Ever since the consolidation of the two entities those in the south have long complained of being neglected by the central government in Sana. Saleh showered his tribe, predominately locates in the north, with money and services. Those in the south suffered from underdevelopment and massive poverty and unemployment. Many in the south have in fact complained about the influence that Al Qaeda and Ansar al Sharia have had in the region. Yet this is the direct result of Saleh’s policy of divide and conquer. Saleh allowed for militants and Al Qaeda to flourish in the south to pressure the United States to provide him with aid to fight “terrorism.” Letting the militants run wild also insured that those shouting for secession would be divided and more concerned with protecting themselves rather than gaining independence. In reality it was mainly local tribes that have been responsible for pushing Al Qaeda elements out or their southern strongholds. Yemen’s military on the other hand has been going after the persistent protesters calling for freedom from Sana. The military has implemented a “shoot on sight” policy in the south, with the neighborhood of Mansoura receiving the brunt of this repression. Fighting has become so bad that most of its residents have left the area entirely.
Compounding this stupidity is the United States acquiescence to Yemen’s military operations. Those fighting for freedom in the south are not fundamentalist militants. They are by and large nationalists whose allegiances are to their tribes not Al Qaeda. This could make them stable and reliable allies of the US in their fight against Islamic militants. America’s support for the militaries operations in the south are instead further stoking a growing anti-American sentiment.
If this policy continues the secessionist tribes could align themselves with some of the local Islamic militant factions. This was the strategy used by the secular Tuareg separatist group the MNLA in Mali, which led to the entire north of the country coming under control of Tuareg fighters. Now in Mali the MNLA and Islamic militants, some of whom have ties to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, have begun fighting amongst themselves for power and dominance. Northern Mali now has been made into a safe heaven for Islamic militants. Yemen is close to succumbing to a similar scenario. The end result of this would be incredibly destabilizing to Yemen and the region at large. The threat to the American homeland will only increase under the current trajectory. Worse still, it would lead to countless deaths of the poorest or the poor in Yemen.
Porkins Policy Review 