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Regime Change in Syria

A bullet-riddled portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which adorned the Hama municipality building, after it was defaced following the capture of the city by rebel fighters, Dec. 6, 2024. (Credit: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)
A bullet-riddled portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which adorned the Hama municipality building, after it was defaced following the capture of the city by rebel fighters, Dec. 6, 2024. (Credit: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)

The regime of Bashar al-Assad was finally toppled by the rebels, which Assad could not find way to control.

The US-led offensive in Syria surprised some, but not all. The background America’s war on Syria  discussed by Jeffery Sachs includes: American plan for attacking Syria in 2011, while the Russians came in 2015; Pentagon’s plan to take out seven countries in five years; falsely accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for chemical attack as the excuse to invade Syria; scant American regard to  UN Charter, wondering what has America achieved in 25-years of bloody wars?

The Pentagon’s plan to take out seven countries (starting with Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and finally Iran) was made while pre-invasion bombing of Afghanistan had commenced in 2001. Jeffery alleges the countries were listed by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, which is immaterial because the decision was that of the US.   

The Middle East produces 1/3rd of the world’s oil and 1/10th of the world’s natural gas, which flows through this region by land and sea. It also has 1/3rd of the natural gas reserves, the clusters being Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Iraq-Syria, Trans Arabian and the Iraqi Pipeline in Saudi Arabia (IPSA) were closed and the US wanted the Qatari pipeline to supply oil to Europe. Syria was bombed to kill the Iran-Syria pipeline, without seeking UN approval.

Iraq was invaded by lying to the US Congress that Iraq was developing nuclear weapons. Same was the case in falsely accusing Syria of using chemical weapons. Russia’s FSB had reported then itself that ‘Britain Defence’ (UK’s top mercenary outfit) delivered a chemical weapon to Syrian rebels as proposed by Qatar and approved by Washington, which was used for the Sarin attack. Published intercepts of tele conversation between executives of ‘Britain Defence’ read, “We’ll have to deliver a CW (chemical weapon) to Homs (Syria), a Soviet origin g-shell from Libya similar to those that Assad should have. They want us to deploy our Ukrainian personnel that should speak Russian and make a video record”.

The US aim of invading Iraq included winning the fossil fuel war and control the Middle East energy flow. In dealing with the region, America capitalized on Saudi sympathy for anti-Shia "militancy"; the then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in 2009 (cable released by WikiLeaks): "Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for Al-Qaeda, Taliban, LeT, others.” Also, before 9/11, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, Saudi ambassador to US told the head of MI6, “Time is not far off in the Middle East when it will be literally 'God help the Shia'. More than a billion Sunnis have simply had enough of them." The US installed a Sunni regime in Shia-predominant Iraq to let the violence continue. 

The US was instrumental in organizing, training, arming and employing terrorist organizations like the Mujahedeen, Taliban, Al Qaeda, ISIL/ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra. Along with other global terrorists, ISIS was let loose in Iraq-Syria, some cadres later shifted to Afghanistan (via Pakistan) and the Afghan border with Turkmenistan. Arms and ammunition were being airdropped by the US both to ISIS and Al Qaeda.

 

Reports in December 2012 revealed hundreds of Libyan rebels plus Al Qaeda cadres being airlifted into Syria to aid Syrian opposition attack government forces. In October 2012, Mitt Romney, US Presidential candidate, publicly vowed to arm Al Qaeda in Syria. Hillary Clinton wrote in her book ‘Hard Choices’ she would have armed “moderate” Syrian rebels much earlier. Evan Mc Mullin admits his role in the CIA was to convince Al Qaeda operatives to work with the US The Syrian opposition organized by the CIA was Sunni but efforts for a military coup and regime change in Syria failed because the Syrian government and the Syrian military is a Shia-Sunni mix. American plans were also upset when Russia stepped in.

UN Charter and issues like human rights don’t matter to America. Jeffery Sachs mentions 25 years of bloody war but this is the norm for 50 years plus. America’s Vietnam War killed some 2,000,000 civilians .Three American POTUS alone (Bill Clinton, George W Bush and Barack Obama) invaded nine countries in 23 years killing  11 million civilians.

Historian William Blum, who worked in the US State Department wrote in 2014.  “Since 1945, the US has tried to overthrow more than 50 governments, many of them democratically elected; grossly interfered in elections in 30 countries; bombed the civilian populations of 30 countries; used chemical and biological weapons; and attempted to assassinate foreign leaders. In many cases Britain has been a collaborator.” The POTUS Joe Biden is responsible for two million dead Ukrainians and the country is being asked to lower the compulsory recruitment age to 18 years. More than 44,000 are killed in Gaza (including over 15,000 children) and death toll in Lebanon has already surpassed 3,000.

The ongoing attacks in Syria for regime change are not by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alone as the West would want the world to believe. The CIA has ensured ISIS, Al Qaeda. Jabhat al-Nusra are all part of the operation. The timing of the offensive is perhaps due to the following:

  • Ukraine’s use of American ATACMS, British Storm Shadow and French SCALP-EG long-range missiles was responded to by Russia with its Oshernik hypersonic missiles, against which there is no defence, and Russian President Vladimir Putin called the US bluff of equipping Ukraine with nuclear weapons by indicating resolve to hit back the source of these nukes. So, Russia’s attention had to be diverted.
  • The American plan to deal with China after Russia worked in reverse, bonding these countries even closer.
  • The Middle East Sunni faction, particularly Saudi Arabia, was getting uncomfortable with the continuing genocide in Gaza and Israeli bombing of Lebanon. Besides, the US is uncomfortable with improved Syria-Arab relations and resumption of Saudi Arabia-Iran diplomatic ties.
  • There was speculation that Türkiye may opt out of NATO which was possibly propaganda – same as North Korean troops in Russia, of which there is no evidence on ground. This was perhaps subterfuge to hide the full support of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the current offensive in Syria.
  • Israel has been suffering considerable casualties in the war with Iran-supported Hezbollah. Israel has attacked Iranian assets in Syria and Tehran but lacks requisite air defence against Iranian hypersonic missiles. NATO-Israel direct war on Iran could trigger world war with Russia and China joining in. The better option was opening the Syrian front.

The latest is that the following the fall of Damascus to jihadi-terrorists, President Assad has been killed in a plane crash according to unconfirmed reports and Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, former commander of Al Qaeda has become the new leader of Syria -m so much for the American bullshit of democratic values. The US-NATO and Israel can now bw expected to train their guns on Iran. This time there may not be another Angela Merkel to open Europe to Syrian refugees just to earn another term as German Chancellor. The Arabs (less the US protégé Turkiye) are aware that America’s penchant of regime change would unlikely spare the Sunni, given that there is little concern about two million dead Ukrainians.

The answer to Jeffery’s question what has the US gained in these bloody wars is obvious: world domination at the cost of friends/foes; mammoth arms sales; optimize disrupted global supply chains; controlling energy resources; bulk of the money expended flowing back to America; keep Europe tethered to Washington at the cost of European economy but keeping heads of these nations leashed through America’s ‘Unit 702’ monitoring them and helping them stay in power.

US President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he would end the war in Ukraine but how much can he change America’s warmongering? His cabinet of all billionaires is to be the richest in American history but he needs to pull out the economy from recession brought upon by the tottering Joe Biden playing darling puppet to America’s deep state. Can Trump do this by ushering peace?

China’s BRI extracts strategic gains through huge loans and massive interest rates which the target country cannot afford to pay. But what is America doing? In 2014, Ukraine needed a $15 billion loan and President Petro Poroshenko was ready to accept the Russian loan offer which was sans strings. So, Poroshenko was replaced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy (through a CIA-engineered coup) who accepted a World Bank loan stipulating that Ukraine opens up to foreigners; resultantly one third of Ukraine’s arable land was bought by Americans.

The US is in no position to engage Russia or China in direct war, leave aside both together. Russia and China are ahead of the US in military technologies. China is the industrial powerhouse of the world and its economic collapse, as hoped by the US, is unlikely. Also, the US would hardly remain untouched in a Russia-Europe nuclear exchange, as Zelenskyy wants. Moreover, America’s warmongering will keep weakening Europe.

Finally, Baba Vanga predicted a major war in Europe in 2025 and Europe coming under Muslim rule by 2043. Is it a surprise then that Muhammad has already become the most popular baby boy name in England and Wales, surpassing Noah? But what is America’s contribution to all this being a party to Islamic terrorism and regime change in countries like Bangladesh and Syria resulting in their Talibanization? Does the US realize its sunset is assured if it doesn’t mend its ways?

The author is an Indian Army veteran, Views expressed are personal.

About the author

Lt. Gen. Prakash Katoch (Ret'd)

Lt. Gen. Prakash Katoch (Ret'd)

The author is a former Lieutenant General of the Indian Army, former Director General of Information Systems and a Special Forces Veteran.

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