According to the government stenographers at the LA Times the CIA is in the process of setting up a drone program in Syria. You can basically hear the CIA officers dictating what to say to the “journalists”. This marks the third such “exclusive” by a western news outlet purporting to show the links between the rebels/foreign terrorists in Syria and America and Europe. The Guardian recently reported that the the French, British and American government were arming and training rebels in Jordan to go and fight in Syria. Of course anyone who reads the alternative media already knew that this was the case a long time ago. Sibel Edmonds and James Corbett reported on the West training and arming militants in Jordan 15 months before the Guardian and Der Spiel were instructed by foreign intelligence agencies to report it. True to form as a collaborator in the Western imperialist campaign, the LA Times frames the new drone program as a contingency plan to safeguard America from Al Qaeda and “extremists” operating in Syria. Alas this is just cover for America and Western Europe’s imperialist crusade against the rest of the world.
For an article without western spin I would read this one from RT.
The Syrian rebel group the Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade have taken 21 UN troops hostage. I wonder if these were the “right people” Kerry was talking about when he said that the “right people” are getting arms in Syria. Let’s hope they are the right people since they will now have a seat at the Arab League.
The war in Syria has now become a serious regional conflict. The US/Saudi/Qatari/Turkish backed FSA has begun a campaign against Hezbollah. This is a terrifying escalation of an already highly escalated conflict. The situation is further compounded by the fact that Hezbollah is a partner in the current coalition government in Lebanon. The FSA has in essence declared war on Lebanon. No doubt this will only add to more bloodshed and further destabilization of the region as a whole. The logic of the FSA seems rather misplaced. Hezbollah is a very sophisticated resistance group; not like the disorganized FSA which has had to rely on foreign jihadist fighters to do most of the frontline fighting. The FSA may be hedging it’s bet that soon the EU will declare the Shiite group a “terrorist” organization as per the request of America and Israel, thus making intervention seem more palatable for western citizens.
The imperialist warmonger William Hague is yet again warning about the threat of Islamic terror in Syria. The British Foreign Secretary has named Syria the “number one” destination for jihadist’s. Hague even goes so far as to say that current situation increases the threat of chemical weapons. Thus according to Hague its time for Russia and China to join the West in helping to bring about regime change, also known as military intervention. It is amazing how Hague is able to say such things with a straight face. He bemoans the terrorist threat while at the same time advocating the overthrow of the last secular leader in the Middle East and continuing to fund and arm Islamist’s. The idea that by going in and implementing a regime change would somehow stop the Islamic terrorists is beyond idiotic. Of course Hague and the other imperialists like Obama in fact want the Islamist fighters to succeed so as justify to the sheeple in America that we need to spend countless amounts of money securing and dominating the Syrian people. As with all other imperialists Hague is more concerned with fomenting destabilization through out Syria and the greater Middle East.
McClatchy has been awarded the George Polk Award for war reporting in Syria. When it come to the mainstream press there is no one better than McClatchy. They are the only mainstream press organization that questions the official Washington talking points and actually does real reporting. This is undoubtedly why they won the award. There Syria coverage from both David Enders and Austin Tice has proved invaluable. What really separates their coverage from most others is that they actually report from inside Syria rather than talking to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Skyping with Syrians from the safety of Beirut. Unfortunately Austin Tice will not be able to accept his award as he is still missing in Syria. He disappeared August 13th and according to the US government is being held by the Syrian military. Although these individuals don’t exactly look like your average Syrian soldiers.
There was a time in my life when I used to read Foreign Policy and think that it was really cutting edge and unbiased, alas this is no longer the case. Eventually I woke up to the fact that Foreign Policy is the mouth piece of the warmongering bipartisan foreign policy establishment in Washington. James Traub is an excellent example of the kind of fools that Foreign Policy employs. He is a fellow at the Center on International Cooperation which is like all the other establishment Beltway think tanks. In his weekly column, Terms of Engagement, he attempts to show how it is now time for President Obama to really get involved in Syria. Traub hardly hides his imperialist reasons for why Obama should start massively arming the rebels
The rebels have been forced again and again to break off battles they might otherwise win for lack of ammunition and firepower. With anti-aircraft capability, the rebels could create a safe haven on their own. With anti-tank missiles, they night quickly turn the tide in other disputed areas.
The United States has a profound interest not only in bringing the slaughter in Syria to an end, but in having a meaningful presence on the ground when that happens — as it did in Libya thanks to the NATO air campaign. It will not be easy, under any circumstances, to prevent Syria from collapsing into religious and ethnic enclaves, or into a war of all against all. But if Washington remains on the sidelines, as it has until now, it will have little influence with those who will ultimately prevail, and thus little ability to help shape the post-Assad landscape.
Obama might decide to postpone the decision until after the election, but that would be an act of consummate cynicism. He should act now, before it’s too late.
Spill over from the Syrian civil war is
making its way into Lebanon. Around 30 Syrians have been kidnapped in Lebanon in total, with most being held by the powerful Lebanese Shiite family al Mokdad. The kidnappings are in retaliation for one of their family members being kidnaped supposedly by the FSA in Syria. The al Mokdad clan has threatened to abduct Qatari and Saudi nationals that they find in Lebanon. The Gulf nations have taken this threat very seriously. On Wednsday Qatar and Saudi Arabia urged all of its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately. This latest development should be a warning to any an all nations meddling in the Syrian civil war; stay out or face the consequences. What ever happens in Syria will reverberate in Lebanon. Small sale fighting has already taken place in Tripoli which has a significant Alawite community. We are now reaching the point of no return in this conflict. For all of the bluster from Western and Gulf leaders about the imminent downfall of Assad, he still remains in power. Short of an intervention no one knows how long he will continue fighting. As horrific as the civil war is now, it will surely be eclipsed by what will come after Assad leaves or is murdered. Fighting between Assad’s forces and the rebels are leading to a mutual cycle of violence that will sow enough hate on both sides to have this conflict last for years if not decades. This latest spate of kidnapping illustrates this point perfectly. The kidnapping of one Lebanese individual has now mobilized an entire family into a militia. The al Mokdad clan have no ties to either Hezbollah or Amal, the main Shia factions in Lebanon, but they are now firmly in the camp that opposes the FSA and the rebels in Syria. Animosity between the FSA and the al Mokdad clan is not going to end when the civil war ends.
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.
Riad Hijab is not a nice person. To spite what his spokesman has been telling Al Jazeera and Western media, Hijab is nothing more than a corrupt Assad crony. Reading his statement from today one might think that Hijab is a brave freedom fighter:
I announce today my defection from the killing and terrorist regime and I announce that I have joined the ranks of the freedom and dignity revolution. I announce that I am from today a soldier in this blessed revolution…
Hijab’s spokesman Muhammad el-Etri continued this repulsive narrative in an interview with Al Jazeera:
This defection has been being planned for more than two months. He was given two options: to either take the office of prime minister or be killed. He had a third option in mind: to plan his own defection in order to direct a blow to the regime from within and today he is declaring his defection…
I believe he is the highest ranking official in Syria [to defect]… it is one of a kind and it will have grave repercussions on the regime and significant implication after the departure of the regime and [for] the success of the revolution.
Did Hijab have a problem 17 months ago when this all started? For that matter did Hijab have a problem at all with the way that Assad has brutally been ruling Syria since 2000? It’s not as if Assad suddenness started killing his own people and Hijab became disillusioned with the Baathist’s. Hijab is a Sunni who benefited politically and financially from a dictator who oppresses Sunni’s plain and simple. As the civil war becomes increasingly bad Hijab doesn’t want to be on the losing side of the conflict. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that Hijab is some poor innocent politician. Had the civil war never happened Hijab would be content with stealing and abusing the Syrian people.
Porkins Policy Review 