At 4am on April 13, 2018 missiles rained down on Damascus,
the capital city of Syria. That morning, the United States, United
Kingdom and France launched 130 missiles against the people
of Syria, the majority of which were aimed right at Damascus.
They justified the bombing based on the unproven allegation
that the Syrian government had carried out a chemical weapons
attack against people in Douma, in eastern Ghouta. This direct
bombing of Syria by the U.S. government and their allies is
another brutal chapter in the seven-year imperialist war against
the people of Syria.
Nearly one year ago, the U.S. government bombed Syria, using
the same justification by alleging that the Syrian government
had carried out a chemical weapons attack against the people
of Syria. This use of allegations of chemical weapons attacks by
the U.S., U.K and France is brutally reminiscent of the “weapons
of mass destruction” justifications used by the U.S. government
and their allies to bomb and invade Iraq in 2003, on the basis
of “unverified” reports from “unknown sources on the ground.”
To this day, there is still no proof that the government of Syria
carried out either of these chemical weapons attacks. In fact,
the bombing of Syria, and the so-called targeting of the areas
where chemical weapons were allegedly being manufactured,
was carried out before the Organization for the Prevention of
Chemical Weapons even began their investigation. What ever
evidence might have existed of chemical weapons use, including
that of chemical weapons use by U.S.-backed terrorists in Syria,
was quickly bombed away.
Despite this, the government of Canada was quick to express
their support for this escalation in the bloody war against the
people of Syria. As Prime Minister Trudeau stated, “Canada
supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom,
and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability
to launch chemical weapons attacks against its own people.”
What’s Iran Got to Do with It?
On May 10 Israel bombed western Syria, in an assault which
has been reported in mainstream media to be the largest Israeli
attack on Syria since 1973. This bombing has been portrayed by
mainstream media as a retaliatory bombing by Israel in response
to 20 missiles that were sent into Israel in the days previous,
allegedly launched by Iranian forces in Syria.
However, this was not the case. Israel fired first, and Syrian
government forces, not Iran, responded defensively. As the New
York Times reported, this attack “came after what appeared to
have been an Israeli missile strike against a village in the Syrian
Golan Heights late on Wednesday.”
The most significant part of this attack was not who fired first,
but the way that the U.S. government used this attack to justify
further intervention in Syria. This was the first time that Israel
accused Iran of attacking Israel from Syria. To the United States,
the independent government of Iran is the biggest boogey man
in the Middle East and North Africa. Therefore, by alleging
that Iran was responsible for aggravating the Israeli bombing,
the U.S. government had an excellent opportunity to scapegoat
Iran. This, in turn, gives the U.S. the opportunity to gain the
legitimacy that they need to further escalate the imperialist war
on Syria.
It is also important to note that the Israeli bombing of Syria
took place the day after U.S. President Trump declared that
the United States would be leaving the 2015 nuclear deal
with Iran. Blaming Iran for this bombing allows them to put
further pressure on Iran, an independent country that the U.S.
government needs to bring under their control to gain hegemony
in the Middle East and North Africa.
Humanitarian Crisis Made in the USA
Since the U.S.-led imperialist assault on Syria began in 2011,
the main objective has been to overthrow the independent
government of Bashar al Assad. To this end, the U.S. and their
imperialist allies have trained, armed, and funded so-called ‘rebel’
groups that have brought death, destruction and chaos to Syria.
When it is politically convenient for them, the U.S. government
will feign concern for the “children of Syria.” But, they will
not cease their military interventions and their support for the
terrorists, nor end their criminal sanctions.
For the last seven-years, these foreign-backed terrorists have
attempted to tear the country apart. When the United Nations
stopped reporting on the death toll in Syria in 2016, nearly
500,000 people had been killed. According to the United Nations
Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Syria today is a “colossal human
tragedy.” 69% of people in Syria live in extreme poverty, with
5.6 million people requiring urgent humanitarian assistance.
Over half of the people of Syria have been turned into refugees.
6.1 million Syrians are internally displaced, while 5.6 million
Syrians have been forced to flee the country all together. 2.5
million children in Syria, referred to as a “lost generation”, are
out of school.
Why are Imperialists Escalating the War Against Syria?
Despite this devasting loss to humanity, the U.S. government
and their allies are increasing their attacks on Syria. This is
because the imperialists are losing in
Syria. After seven years of death and
destruction they have not been able to
force the overthrow of President Assad,
who continues to liberate Syria from
terrorist forces.
However, the imperialists are not giving
up just yet, because they are not only
losing in Syria, they are also losing
in other countries where they have
carried out wars and occupations. Iraq,
Libya and Afghanistan continue to be
counties in chaos and in crisis, outside
of the complete control of the U.S.
government.
Syria also continues to be important
because, for them, the fall of the
independent government of Syria
means that Iran is next. Since the 1979
Iranian revolution, Iran has stood as an
example for countries throughout the
Middle East and North Africa that
independence from the U.S. is possible.
It is independence, not terrorism, that
is threatening to U.S. interests in the
region. Therefore, Saudi Arabia is their
ally, while Iran is enemy #1.
Hands Off Syria!
The last seven years have shown the
world that U.S. government and their
allies, including Canada, will stop at
nothing to bring the independent
country of Syria under their control.
However, this has not stopped the
people of Syria from fighting against
imperialist intervention and foreignbacked
terrorists. The governments
of the U.S., U.K., France, Canada and
Israel have Syrian blood on their hands.
The question is not whether or not
to support the government of Bashar
al Assad. That is not up to people in
Canada, the U.S., or anyone outside of
Syria to decide. Instead, the question is
whether or not to support the people of
Syria in their struggle to end the death
and destruction that imperialists have
imposed on them.
The people of Syria have the right
to determine their own future. As
people living in Canada, we have the
responsibility to join them in their
fight for self-determination against
imperialist intervention.
Follow Alison on Twitter: @Alisoncolette
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