Now I know the anti-anti imperialists will say its not true but read it and weep and how can they support a government that was installed by the CIA?
Cort MON JAN 14, 2013 AT 01:51 PM PST How the US help put #Assad in power in #Syria<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/14/1178686/-How-the-US-help-put-Assad-in-power-in-Syria> byClay Claiborne <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Clay%20Claiborne>Follow<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/14/1178686/-How-the-US-help-put-Assad-in-power-in-Syria?showAll=yes#?friend_id=125110&is_stream=1> - - - 8 Comments / 8 New<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/14/1178686/-How-the-US-help-put-Assad-in-power-in-Syria#comments> [image: Follow clayclai on Twitter] <http://twitter.com/clayclai> My nomination for the most prophetic statement of 1949<http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2011/06/the_baby_and_the_baath_water.html> goes to Deane Hinton, the CIA agent that was part of the CIA *"Political Action Committee"* carrying out a coup in Syria that was suppose to replace the government elected in 1947 with one that would recognize the new state of Israel. The US and US corporations tried hard to influence Syrian elections. Still the *"wrong"* people got elected, hence the need to implement what would soon become their favorite fall-back strategy, the military coup. Hinton was kicked out of the group after he told a planning meeting in Damascus: *"I want to go on record as saying that this is the stupidest, most irresponsible action a diplomatic mission like ours could get itself involved in, and that we've started a series of these things that will never end."* They may end one day, but today the Syrian people are still suffering mightily from the reverberations of that insult to Syrian democracy carried out by the United States 63 years ago. The CIA *"made friends"* with the head of the Syrian army, Husni al-Za'im. In 1968 a CIA agent, Miles Copeland who was involved wrote all about it in *"The Game of Nations."* The *"Game"*referred to a game-playing exercise the CIA did in the 1950s for planning interventions. [The Hollywood movie * "Scorpio," <http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1178686/49075010#c2>* starring Burt Lancaster is roughly about this stuff.] Copeland was part of the *"Political Action Team"* set up to carry out regime change in Syria: *"The political action team suggested to Za'im the idea of a coup d'etat, advised him how to go about it, guided him through the intricate preparations in laying the groundwork for it...Za'im was 'the American boy'."* The 1949 Syrian regime change was the first of many US inspired military coups in the Middle East in the wake of WWII. It was considered a great success; the US was *"opening the door to Peace and Progress."* Za'im promised to recognize the new state of Israel but he turned out to be a violent tyrant and only lasted five months before he was overthrown in another violent coup. Just as Hinton had predicted, the US had *"opened the door to the Dark Ages"* in Syria. Syria continued to be plagued by military coups throughout the 1950's until a parliamentary system was restore in 1954. By that time, the Syrian people were tired of US meddling and the new government turned to the Soviet Union for support. In 1957, another CIA plot to change the Syrian government was uncovered and three CIA agents were expelled from the country. This military coup was code-named Operation Wappen, and the CIA man in change was Howard *"Rocky"* Stone. That coup failed. Then in 1958, Syria and Egypt merged to form the United Arab Republic, led by President Nasser. By 1961 the UAR was falling apart. In opposition to Nasser's version of pan-Arabism, the Baath party had been growing in both Iraq and Syria. In 1963 the Baath Party came to power in Iraq in a coup that was largely organized and funded by the CIA. A young party member, age 25, named Saddam Hussein was a CIA*"asset"* at the time, the CIA gave him a list of 600 communists and democrats to eliminate. Hafez al-Assad was one of five Syrian army officers that formed a secret committee plotting to bring the Baathist to power in Syria. A month after the Baath came to power in Iraq, the coup in Syria succeeded without the direct aid of the CIA. The Baathist in Iraq and Syria portrayed themselves as socialist and pan-Arabists but Nasser called them fascist. BBC *"That Was The Week That Was"* comedy sketch done 2 days after the 1963 couphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l4nQEVca6N8 While Syria was still a colony, the French practiced a program of divide and rule which deliberately exaggerated the sectarian divisions in the country. These coup leaders followed this practice in establishing their rule. Of the five, three, including Assad were Alawite and the other two were Ismailis, two Shia sects, in this majority Sunni country. Hafez al-Assad quickly captured the leadership by ruthlessly removing, often killing, established Sunni functionaries and replacing them with Syrians from his sect that were loyal to him. By 1969, Assad had eliminated the last of his original co-conspirators. *Adam Curtis, BBC* wrote<http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/adamcurtis/2011/06/the_baby_and_the_baath_water.html> : Assad believed that this ruthless exercise of power was necessary because of the deep sectarian divisions. It was a strange echo of the American diplomat in 1949 who believed that a military coup was needed to * "quarantine"* the Syrian people... Many people think that the United States has no colonial or imperialist responsibility for the current state of affairs in Syria but the history tells another tale. True enough, the Assad regime is much more of a Russia client, and was a Soviet client before that, and so on the other side of the cold war, in the *"anti-imperialist"* camp. While it is true that Syria fell out of the US *"sphere of influence"* after it escaped from the badly bungled repeated coups of the '50s, the practice of rule by sectarian divisions and the sword remained. While it can not be said that the US had a direct role in putting the regime in power, unlike in Iraq, Iran and so many Latin American countries, it must at least be admitted that US interference in Syrian internal affairs and US attempts to put a strongman in power, prepared a fertile field for this 40 year dictatorship to take root. While Assad or Son may have never been *'the American boy'*, they did not represent a type of 3rd world *"leadership"* the US has traditionally opposed, i.e. brutal military dictatorships in civilian clothes. The Assad regime has proven to be one that could be bargained with; one that had a price. Hafez Assad gave up the Golan Heights himself when he was only Defense Minister at the beginning of the 1967 war with Israel and it has been occupied by Israel for as long as the Assads have remained in power. After the 1973 war, Nixon visited Assad in Damascus and ties got strengthen when many expected Syria to be slapped with sanction. For a long time they *"took"* Lebanon off everybody's hands by occupying it between 1976 and 2005. Many observers saw the lack of US as a *"green light" * to the occupation. As the Middle East Forum Lebanon Study Group put it in their 2000 report: <http://www.meforum.org/research/lsg.php> "[The US] seemed tacitly to acquiesce to continued Syrian ascendancy in Lebanon." In 1989 the US brokered the Tai'f Agreement between France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syriathat called<http://www.gmu.edu/programs/icar/ijps/vol14_2/SALAMEY%20-%2014n2%20IJPS.pdf> for *"prompting international support for Syrian--guardianship over Lebanon."* The Assad regime may not have been the CIA's first choice for running Syria, they would rather bring Syria into their fold, but at least he was one of them, corrupt, expensive tastes, fondness for torture and endless detention. He could be guaranteed to not fight *too* hard for the Golan Heights and to ride herd on the Palestinians, and the Syrians too, for that matter. In 1991 Hafez al-Assad made common cause with George Bush in attacking Saddam Hussein. Syria supported US imperialism in Operation Desert Storm to the tune of 14,500 soldiers and support personnel. The two sons had a falling out over Iraq War 2, and George Bush Jr. put Bashar al-Assad on his no-fly list, but this represented an abnormally for US-Syrian relations, there has been no consistent effort to support regime change in Syria. In 2001 Syria started cooperating with US intelligence in the *"War on Terror."* That's when the infamous special rendition programs first got going. By 2005, the CIA's special rendition relations with the Assad regime were such a well established fact that this notice was published in the Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/dec/27/usa.syria>: The US embassy in London was forced to issue a correction yesterday to an interview given by the ambassador, Robert Tuttle, in which he claimed America would not fly suspected terrorists to Syria, President-elect Barack Obama moved to reverse Bush's isolationist policies towards Syria within days <http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/923/re6.htm> of winning the election in November 2008, and I have already documented the development of this relationship in great detail in Barack Obama's Courtship of Bashar al-Assad<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/14/1131569/-Barack-Obama-s-Courtship-of-Bashar-al-Assad> Most activist see US imperialism as having *"clean hands"* with regards to the conflict in Syria, as compared to say Bahrain or Egypt or Palestine, because the US had nothing to do with creating the current situation. And while it is true that it is not American made cluster bombs that are raining down on the Syrian people, US imperialism historically has had a whole lot to do with the mess they find themselves in. TUE JAN 15, 2013 AT 11:09 AM PST #Assad's systematic use of #Rape in #Syria<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/15/1179182/--Assad-s-systematic-use-of-Rape-in-Syria> byClay Claiborne <http://www.dailykos.com/user/Clay%20Claiborne>Follow<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/15/1179182/--Assad-s-systematic-use-of-Rape-in-Syria?showAll=yes#?friend_id=125110&is_stream=1> - - - 10 Comments / 10 New<http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/15/1179182/--Assad-s-systematic-use-of-Rape-in-Syria#comments> [image: Follow clayclai on Twitter] <http://twitter.com/clayclai> The systematic use of rape as a weapon of war against his own people has come into somewhat sharper focus in the past few days owning to the publication of a report released Monday<http://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/resource-file/IRCReportMidEast20130114.pdf> by the New York based International Rescue Committee that charged that rape has become a "*significant and disturbing feature"* of the war in Syria. Women Under Siege@*WomenUndrSiege* <https://twitter.com/WomenUndrSiege> Of these #*crowdmpa* <https://twitter.com/search/%23crowdmpa> reports, 80 percent of them include female victims, with ages ranging from 7 to 46: ow.ly/gPhC3 <http://t.co/EevKtOlA> #*Syria*<https://twitter.com/search/%23Syria> #*rape* <https://twitter.com/search/%23rape> 15 Jan 13 <https://twitter.com/WomenUndrSiege/statuses/291247157397315584> - ** <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?in_reply_to=291247157397315584> - ** <https://twitter.com/intent/retweet?tweet_id=291247157397315584> - ** <https://twitter.com/intent/favorite?tweet_id=291247157397315584> It has become common for women and girls to be attacked in public, at roadblocks and in their homes by "armed men." Gang rape is common. In interviews with refugees, this was cited as one of the main reasons for fleeing Syria. Below the fold are excerpts from some of the recent MSM articles to come out on this and links to others. Also a very informative report done by Women Under Siege <http://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/reports> and finally, what looks like a piece of counter-propaganda from the Assad regime. Topicality is always suspect! AFP is reporting<http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rape-significant-factor-syria-conflict-watchdog-104444136.html> : Rape 'significant' factor in Syria conflict: watchdog Rape has been a "significant" weapon of war in the conflict raging in Syria since March 2011 and is the "primary" factor in the exodus of women and children refugees to neighbouring Jordan and Lebanon, an aid group said on Monday. In its report, "Syria: A Regional Crisis," the US-based International Rescue Committee (IRC) described rape "as a significant and disturbing feature of the Syrian civil war". "In the course of three IRC assessments in Lebanon and Jordan, Syrians identified rape as a primary reason their families fled the country," the report said, calling for urgent attention to the issue. "Many women and girls relayed accounts of being attacked in public or in their homes, primarily by armed men. These rapes, sometimes by multiple perpetrators, often occur in front of family members." The IRC said it was also told of attacks in which women and girls were kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed. Syrian survivors rarely report sexual violence due to "the stigma and social norms around the dishonour that rape brings to women and girls and their families," the IRC said. Many interviewed by the IRC said survivors fear retribution by their assailants, being killed by "shamed" family members, or in the case of girls, being married off at an early age "to safeguard their honour," the report said. The IRC said survivors who flee face a shortage of medical and counselling services, in addition to "unsafe conditions in refugee camps as well as elevated levels of domestic violence." More...<http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rape-significant-factor-syria-conflict-watchdog-104444136.html> The Telegraph is reporting:<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9800528/Rape-being-used-as-widespread-weapon-of-war-in-Syrian-conflict.html> Rape *'being used as widespread weapon of war in Syrian conflict'* *Rape is being used as a weapon of war in the Syrian conflict to such an extent that many refugee families are citing it a as a primary reason to flee, according to a new report.* By Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent 2:17PM GMT 14 Jan 2013 The study of the nearly 600,000 people who have fled the country since the start of the civil war stated it was a "staggering humanitarian disaster". On top of those in neighbouring countries, mainly Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, 2.5 million had fled their homes but remained in Syria, while 4 million people were in need of help. "The extent of the bloodshed, devastation, displacement and suffering inside Syria cannot be easily or precisely measured, but it is certainly extraordinary in its magnitude, and it is steadily worsening," the report for the US-based International Rescue Committee said. "Millions of Syrians are in desperate need and have little if any access to humanitarian relief." Their overall comments reflect widespread feelings that despite promises from across the world not enough assistance is reaching the often bleak and frozen refugee camps on the country's borders. However, while there had been allegations of rape and sexual abuse before, the scale suggested by the refugees was shocking. The study of the nearly 600,000 people who have fled the country since the start of the civil war stated it was a "staggering humanitarian disaster". On top of those in neighbouring countries, mainly Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, 2.5 million had fled their homes but remained in Syria, while 4 million people were in need of help. "The extent of the bloodshed, devastation, displacement and suffering inside Syria cannot be easily or precisely measured, but it is certainly extraordinary in its magnitude, and it is steadily worsening," the report for the US-based International Rescue Committee said. "Millions of Syrians are in desperate need and have little if any access to humanitarian relief." Their overall comments reflect widespread feelings that despite promises from across the world not enough assistance is reaching the often bleak and frozen refugee camps on the country's borders. However, while there had been allegations of rape and sexual abuse before, the scale suggested by the refugees was shocking. More...<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9800528/Rape-being-used-as-widespread-weapon-of-war-in-Syrian-conflict.html> Naturally the Washington Post<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/rape-has-become-significant-part-of-syrian-war-says-humanitarian-group/2013/01/14/2d94d3dc-5e69-11e2-90a0-73c8343c6d61_story.html?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost> and The Guardian<http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/jan/14/syrian-women-girls-sexual-violence> have useful articles. The *Women's Media Center* published this<http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/blog/entry/the-ultimate-assault-charting-syrias-use-of-rape-to-terrorize-its-people> in Women Under Siege <http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/> six months agao: The ultimate assault: Charting Syria's use of rape to terrorize its people By Lauren Wolfe/Director -- July 11, 2012 A woman swathed in black squares her shoulders and calmly looks into a camera. She holds a Quran. Only a sliver of her face--her eyeglasses--shows. *"What happened to me hasn't happened to anyone, or if it has affected anyone else I do not know,"*she says<https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/reports/view/22> .*"But I will speak and let all the people know what [Syrian leader] Bashar al-Assad and his men are doing."* Over the next four minutes, her breathing grows labored and her voice breaks as she describes how, in May 2011, five men wearing black entered her home on the outskirts of Homs and raped her. *"This is my message to the world,"* she says. *"Let all the world hear what is happening to us. And I might not be the first one nor the last who was treated in this way."* The still-unidentified woman posted the video to YouTube on February 11, 2012. It is one of the earliest reports on our live, crowd-sourced map of sexualized violence in Syria <https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/>. The Women's Media Center project Women Under Siege has been collecting reports <https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/reports> out of Syria for three months, during which time we've seen many stories similar to this, in which multiple attackers, usually government forces, are said to gang rape a woman in her home. We have also mapped stories at the extreme edge of nightmares; of teenage girls given shots that immobilize them while their genitals were burned<https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/reports/view/59> orfilled with mice<https://womenundersiegesyria.crowdmap.com/reports/view/60>. Government forces and others appear to be carrying out appalling sexualized attacks against women, men, and children in Syria as the conflict there continues. Although we are unable to independently confirm these stories--Syria is simply too dangerous, and our research staff too small--they are consistent both internally and within the news and NGO reports telling similar stories from the Syrian conflict. More...<http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/blog/entry/the-ultimate-assault-charting-syrias-use-of-rape-to-terrorize-its-people> Real Syria Updates reports<http://syria-updates.blogspot.com/2013/01/syria-syrian-rebels-rape-2-women-4.html> : Syria: Syrian Rebels Rape 2 Women, 4 Children in Reef Idlib Sunday, January 13, 2013 Armed rebels committed the crimes in the Qaninas region of Reef Idlib in the Northwestern Syria. The terrorists sprayed bullets at the defenseless women and children after raping them. Terrorists have tried hard in the last few weeks to make Syrian cities unsafe, specially for citizens, but the army has purged them from most neighborhoods and districts, killed hundreds of them and arrested many more. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. Hundreds of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed, when some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. More...<http://syria-updates.blogspot.com/2013/01/syria-syrian-rebels-rape-2-women-4.html> Based on reports like this last one, reports that *"terrorists sprayed bullets at the defenseless women and children after raping them."* with no further details, I fully expect to see claims made by Assad supporters that *"the rebels rape too." * That's the way the propaganda war is played these days. 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