LIFE June 16, 1967 (1) - MIDEAST UNHINGED--THE ISRAELI ONSLAUGHT
(Image by manhhai from flickr) Details DMCA
This is the first in a series of articles meant to help anyone struggling to understand the underlying logic behind global crises that seem chaotic and disconnected.
Starting with the fall of the Syrian government, these essays will explain the basics of US foreign policy through examining world events since the turn of this century. They will explore how these events are related to stated and unstated goals of those who determine what is euphemistically referred to as U.S. "national security" policy.
I strive to make my observations concise, so parts of it may be a challenge for the novice. If you don't understand a reference that does not have a hyperlink with more details, don't worry. It will almost certainly be explained later.
I have also tried to provide nuggets of information and analysis for those who have a fair grasp of the U.S. role in manipulating world events. If you fall in that category, please check out this series. I hope the way that ideas and events are put together will also be illuminating to you.
The fall of Syria has elicited cheers from a lot of people you might assume would know better, most notably some Palestine solidarity activists. This likely reflects the fact that most of those Palestinian supporters celebrating Assad's departure are new to the study of geopolitics and U.S. foreign policy.
The most basic fact they have missed is that Syria is the linchpin of a weapons pipeline that has until now run through the so-called Shia Crescent from Iran to Lebanon. This is the route by which Iran has been sending most of the weapons that Hezbollah has used to resist Israeli aggression in Lebanon and to support Palestinian resistance to genocide. Without access to resupply of weapons from Iran, Hezbollah will be unable to resume pressure on Israel to cease its operations in Gaza by making the north of Israel uninhabitable.
Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah have often been referred to as the Axis of Resistance. This term has generally been used to refer to the resistance against Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing and expansionism. However, it could also be said that Syria was holding back the expansion of the U.S. empire itself between 2011 and 2012, when Hezbollah fighters entered in force from Lebanon.
For many years, and against overwhelming odds, Syria held its ground against the relentless juggernaut of U.S. military aggression that started in the wake of 9/11. It is for that reason that its fall is especially tragic. It had given hope to millions who had feared the U.S. could not be stopped. Syria later began receiving critical help from Iranian-backed militias and in 2015, Russian airpower but throughout the struggle, the Syrian Arab Army had been fighting not just for Syria, but for everyone in the world wanting to see the end of America's bloody march to global military domination.
Iraqi militias and the Yemeni resistance group Ansar Allah (aka the Houthis) have become integral parts of the resistance since October 7. Their roles following the collapse of the Syrian Army and likely withdrawal of Russian forces may become critical to protecting Iran from attack following this devastating blow to its influence with the collapse of the Syrian government.
With Hezbollah largely out of the fight, Iraqi militias will likely further step up their attacks on U.S. military illegally occupying parts of Syria. However, with Israel flush with victory and under no restraints, it is free to attack Iraq. In that event, Iran may choose to enter the conflict with Israel directly, with disastrous and unpredictable results that could include use of nuclear weapons.
Ansar Allah, on the other hand, has nothing to lose and no apparent fear of retaliation. It has proven very hard to attack or defend against and will undoubtedly continue to do its part by shutting down Red Sea traffic for the foreseeable future. This is an important contribution to the serious economic pain that Israeli officials and their fanatic supporters have been ignoring in pursuit of their goal of the ethnic cleansing of all of historic Palestine to establish a Greater Israel.
It is this economic damage that may be the greatest strength of the resistance, if global outrage over the genocide continues to give momentum to the BDS movement. Although the mainstream media has largely ignored the issue, it may eventually make it difficult for American politicians to continue to give Israel a blank check to make up for all they have lost and will continue to lose.
The consensus among analysts seems to be that Syria will come to resemble Afghanistan, with a repressive Islamist government that rules with an iron fist. It is more likely it will resemble Libya, a failed state thanks to NATO "saving" it from Gaddafi.
As in Syria, the "liberal interventionists" in the Democratic Party joined forces with Republican neocons in 2010 to destabilize Libya by removing Gaddafi from power. In that case, they used the lie that the popular leader intended to commit genocide. The National Security establishment then used this manufactured threat to justify killing 10,000 Libyan civilians with U.S. firepower. The goal was to assist the largely foreign terrorists who eventually defeated Gaddafi.
As is the case in Syria, the terrorist groups supported by the U.S. were portrayed as patriotic "rebels". However, U.S. intervention left Libya in the hands of warring factions that are still fighting for control, leaving the country in the hands of warring factions that are still fighting for control. Similar infighting among competing terrorist groups has already started in Syria, though this has as yet received little if any attention in the mainstream media.
It is important to note that liberal interventionists and neocons share the same goals. The only difference is that Democrats don't want to be associated with the "crazies in the basement", as some described neocons during the first Bush administration.
"Liberal" interventionists and neocons both favor throwing out the longstanding foreign policy doctrine of realism, which recognized limits on American power. This was not because of any moral objection to pure power politics. Far from replacing it with a more idealistic foreign policy, they ushered in a new era of endless war for the sake of extending American hegemony worldwide.
To understand the challenge the antiwar movement faces, one must first abandon the notion that either party has any real interest in peace with America's designated enemies short of a Pax Americana. Everything Israel has done since October 7 in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria has occurred with the full knowledge and support of the Biden administration, despite claims to the contrary. Biden could have forced Israel to negotiate for peace long ago by simply cutting off offensive weapons shipments. Now, Trump has promised to provide even more support to Israel, which he has encouraged to "finish the job".
Fully comprehending the significance of Syria's collapse requires knowing the recent history of American Mideast policy. For a richer understanding that may help anticipate coming events, it is also helpful to know a bit about the history of relationships between regional players. Such history is not systematically covered in most articles or videos found in the alternative media. This series is an attempt to provide the most essential historical information required to evaluate current events. That will be the principal focus of the next article and those to follow.
NEXT: The fundamentals of 21st-century U.S. foreign policy
Post Article Comment and Rate This Article
