Corporate
media regularly attempts to present Bashar al-Assad’s regime in
Syria as solely responsible for the ongoing conflict in the region.
The media does report on events that contradict this narrative —
albeit sparingly — but taken together, these underreported details
shine a new light on the conflict.
10:
Bashar al-Assad has a higher approval rating than Barack Obama
Despite
Obama’s claims Assad is illegitimate and must step down, the fact
remains that since the conflict erupted in 2011, Assad has held the
majority support of his people. The elections in 2014 – which Assad
won by a landslide with international observers claiming no
violations – is a testament to the fact that although Assad has
been accused of serious human rights violations, he continues to
remain reasonably popular with the Syrian people.
Obama, on
the other hand, won elections in 2012 with a voter turnout of a mere
53.6 percent of the American public; only 129.1 million total were
votes cast. This means approximately 189.8 million American people
did not vote for Obama. His current approval rating sits at about 50
percent.
9: The
“moderate” opposition has been hijacked
There is no
longer such a thing as “moderate” opposition in Syria – if
there ever was. The so-called Western-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA)
has been dominated by extremists for years. The U.S. has known this
yet has continued to support the Syrian opposition, despite the fact
the New York Times reported in 2012 that the majority of weapons
being sent to Syria have been ending up in the hands of jihadists. A
classified DIA report predicted the rise of ISIS in 2012, stating:
“If the
situation unravels, there is the possibility of establishing a
declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria… and
this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in
order to isolate the Syrian regime.”
Further, an
FSA commander went on record not only to admit his fighters regularly
conduct joint operations with al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria), but also
that he would like to see Syria ruled by Sharia law.
Apparently,
moderate can also mean “al-Qaeda affiliated fanatic.”
8: Assad
never used chemical weapons on his own people
A U.N.
investigation into the first major chemical weapons attack committed
in early 2013 — an atrocity the West immediately pinned on Assad —
concluded the evidence suggested the attack was more likely committed
by the Syrian opposition. A subsequent U.N. investigation into the
August 2013 attack never laid blame on anyone, including Assad’s
forces. In December 2013, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Seymour
Hersh released an article highlighting deficiencies in the way the
situation was handled:
“In the
months before the attack, the American intelligence agencies produced
a series of highly classified reports…citing evidence that the
al-Nusra Front, a jihadi group affiliated with al-Qaida, had mastered
the mechanics of creating sarin and was capable of manufacturing it
in quantity. When the attack occurred al-Nusra should have been a
suspect, but the administration cherry-picked intelligence to justify
a strike against Assad.”
7:
Toppling the Syrian regime was part of a plan adopted shortly after
9/11
According to
a memo disclosed by 4-star General Wesley Clark, shortly after 9/11,
the Pentagon adopted a plan to topple the governments of seven
countries within five years. The countries were Iraq, Lebanon, Libya,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Iran.
As we know,
Iraq was invaded in 2003. American ally Israel tried its hand at
taking out Lebanon in 2006. Libya was destroyed in 2011. Prior to
this intervention, Libya had the highest standard of living of any
country in Africa. In 2015, alone, it dropped 27 places on the U.N.
Human Development Index rating. U.S. drones fly over Somalia, U.S.
troops are stationed in South Sudan — Sudan was partitioned
following a brutal civil war — and Syria has been the scene of a
deadly war since 2011. This leaves only Iran, which is discussed
below.
6: Iran
and Syria have a mutual defense agreement
Since 2005,
Iran and Syria have been bound by a mutual defense agreement. The
Iranian government has shown they intend to fully honor this
agreement and has provided the Syrian regime with all manner of
support, including troops, a $1 billion credit line, training, and
advisement. What makes this conflict even more dangerous, however, is
the fact Russia and China have sided with Iran and Syria, stating
openly they will not tolerate any attack on Iran. Russia’s military
intervention in Syria in recent months proves these are not idle
threats – they have put their money where their mouth is.
Iran has
been in the crosshairs of the U.S. foreign policy establishment for
some time now. George W. Bush failed to generate the support needed
to attack Iran during his time in office — though not for lack of
trying — and since 2012, sanctions have been the go-to mantra. By
attacking and destabilizing Iran’s most important ally in the
region, the powers that be can undermine Iranian attempts to spread
its influence in the region, ultimately further weakening Iran.
5: Former
Apple CEO is the son of a Syrian refugee
The late
Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, was the son of a Syrian who moved to
the United States in the 1950s. This is particularly amusing given
the amount of xenophobia, Islamophobia, racism and hatred refugees
and migrants seem to have inspired — even from aspiring presidents.
Will a President Donald Trump create the conditions in which future
technological pioneers may never reach the United States? His
rhetoric seems to indicate as much.
4: ISIS
arose out of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, not the Syrian conflict
ISIS was
formerly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq, which rose to prominence
following the U.S.-U.K. led invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is
well-known that there was no tangible al-Qaeda presence in Iraq until
after the invasion, and there is a reason for this. When Paul Bremer
was given the role of Presidential Envoy to Iraq in May 2003, he
dissolved the police and military. Bremer fired close to 400,000
former servicemen, including high-ranking military officials who
fought in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. These generals now hold
senior ranking positions within ISIS. If it weren’t for the United
States’ actions, ISIS likely wouldn’t exist.
ISIS was
previously known by the U.S. security establishment as al-Qaeda in
Iraq (AQI), but these fighters ultimately became central to Western
regime change agendas in Libya and Syria. When the various Iraqi and
Syrian al-Qaeda-affiliated groups merged on the Syrian border in
2014, we were left with the fully-fledged terror group we face today.
3:
Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia wanted to build a pipeline through
Syria, but Assad rejected it
In 2009,
Qatar proposed a pipeline to run through Syria and Turkey to export
Saudi gas. Assad rejected the proposal and instead formed an
agreement with Iran and Iraq to construct a pipeline to the European
market that would cut Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar out of the
route entirely. Since, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have been
staunch backers of the opposition seeking to topple Assad.
Collectively, they have invested billions of dollars, lent weapons,
encouraged the spread of fanatical ideology, and helped smuggle
fighters across their borders.
The
Iran-Iraq pipeline will strengthen Iranian influence in the region
and undermine their rival, Saudi Arabia — the other main OPEC
producer. Given the ability to transport gas to Europe without going
through Washington’s allies, Iran will hold the upper-hand and will
be able to negotiate agreements that exclude the U.S. dollar
completely.
2: Leaked
phone calls show Turkey provides ISIS fighters with expensive medical
care
Turkey’s
support for hardline Islamists fighting the Syrian regime is
extensive. In fact, jihadists regularly refer to the Turkish border
as the “gateway to Jihad.” In May 2016, reports started emerging
of Turkey going so far as to provide ISIS fighters with expensive
medical treatment.
Turkey is a
member of NATO. Let that sink in for a moment.
1:
Western media’s main source for the conflict is a T-shirt shop in
Coventry, England
This is not
a joke. If you follow the news, you most probably have heard the
mainstream media quote an entity grandiosely called the “Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights” (SOHR). This so-called “observatory”
is run by one man in his home in Coventry, England — thousands of
miles away from the Syrian conflict — yet is quoted by most
respected Western media outlets (BBC, Reuters, The Guardian, and
International Business Times, for example). His credentials include
his ownership of a T-shirt shop just down the road, as well as being
a notorious dissident against the current Syrian president.
Despite
the fact much of the information in this article comes from
mainstream outlets, those circulating it refuse to put all of the
storylines together to give the public an accurate picture of what is
going on in Syria.
Assad may
be brutal — and should face trial for allegations of widespread
human rights abuses — but this fact alone does not make the other
circumstances untrue or irrelevant. People have the right to be
properly informed before they allow themselves to be led down the
road of more war in the Middle East, and consequently, more terror
attacks and potential conflicts with Russia and China.
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