*MZ: Would you link Obamas decision to arm the Syrian revolution with Israel?
NC: These are separate.* *First of all, Israel was not opposed to Assad. He has been more or less the kind of dictator they wanted. He has done the kind of things they wanted. The US has no opposition to Assad. He was cooperating on intelligence and they did not like everything, but he was pretty satisfactory. In fact, if Israel and the US really did want to undermine the Assad regime and to support the rebels, they have very straightforward ways to do it without arms. Israel could considerably mobilize forces in the Golan Heights. If they mobilize forces in the north, the Syrians are compelled to respond by mobilizing forces. But they do not do it, which can only mean they do not want the regime to fall.* full: http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/16132 Noam Chomsky Interview: Sykes-Picot Is Failing First of all, Israel was not opposed to Assad. He has been more or less the kind of dictator they wanted. (Photo: Marwan Bu Haidar) By: Maha Zaraket <http://english.al-akhbar.com/author/maha-zaraket> Published Sunday, June 16, 2013 *American author and professor Noam Chomsky was in Beirut to give a commencement speech and accept an honorary degree at the American University of Beirut. Al-Akhbar interviewed this critic of American imperialism about the ongoing conflict in Syria, Edward Snowden, and what is left of the Arab Spring.* *Maha Zaraket*: What is the title of your [commencement] speech? *Noam Chomsky*: I do not remember if it has a title, but it is going to be some comments on legitimacy of borders and states and possibilities of eroding them. *MZ*: Do you think the Middle East is going through a rewrite of Sykes-Picot agreement? I have spent a lot of time looking through the classified documents in the US, which is maybe the freest society, most of the documents are classified to protect the government against its own population and not for security reasons.*NC*: I think the Sykes-Picot agreement is falling apart, which is an interesting phenomenon. That is a century. But, the Sykes-Picot agreement was just an imperial imposition that has no legitimacy; there is no reason for any of these borders except the interests of the imperial powers. It is the same all over the world. it is hard to find a single border that has any justification, including the US-Mexico border and the US-Canada border. You look around the world, just about every conflict that is going on results from the imposition of imperial borders that have nothing to do with the population. I think as far as Sykes-Picot is concerned, it is beginning to erode. Whatever happens in Syria its hard to imagine but if anything survives, parts of Syria will be separated. The Kurdish areas are almost autonomous now and they are beginning to link up with the almost-autonomous parts of Northern Iraq Kurdish areas, and may spill over to some extent to southeastern Turkey. What will happen in the rest of the country is hard to say. *MZ*: Do you think the new borders will be made by the local population? Or new imperialisms? *NC*: I wish that were true, but that is not how the world works. Maybe someday, but not yet, not today. *MZ*: What do you think of the Hezbollah intervention in Syria? *NC*: They are in a very difficult position. If the rebels win in Syria, they become very exposed. That may mean their demise. There is reason behind it, I am not sure this is the right one, you could argue about it, but it is understandable. *MZ*: Are you going to meet Nasrallah this time? *NC*: No, I do not know if it is possible. But it is deeply in mind. It is difficult. *MZ*: If you meet him again, what would you tell him? *NC*: I would like to meet him, but just to find out more about their thinking and their plans. They are not coming to me for advice. You know. *MZ*: You called for support of the Turkish protesters. How do you see the uprising in Turkey? *NC*: I think the [Taksim demonstrators] are doing a great thing. I think it is extremely important. Of global importance. The initial reaction of the Erdogan regime was pretty similar to Mubarak and Assad: harsh brutal response to a legitimate set of demands. As of this morning, the latest news, which may or may not turn out to be correct, there does seem to be some prospect of a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The news that was leaked by the representatives of the demonstrators, the Taksim negotiators, was that Erdogan has agreed to wait for a court decision on the Gezi park construction, and if the court authorized it, to have a referendum in Istanbul, which is quite different from a national referendum. I think these are good steps forward if they can be implemented. *MZ*: Is it possible to link what is going on in Turkey to what been going on in Syria for the last two years? *NC*: I think what is going on in Turkey is part of a general uprising throughout the world to harsh and autocratic economic and social policies that have been imposed everywhere for the past generation. And there have been reactions all over. Some of the reactions have been quite successful. The most successful was Latin America. Latin America, for the first time in 500 years it is not small, it has freed itself pretty much from Western domination, mostly US domination in the last century. That is a star development. I think the Arab Spring was part of the same uprising. It is taking place in Europe, within Europe, in the peripheral countries, in Greece, Spain, and France, to an extent. Significant popular movements rising against the really brutal austerity policies, which are driving Europe not to suicide, but to disaster. Europe is rich. It is not Syria, so it is not going to be suicide. But, essentially the policies are aimed in the direction of...dismantl[ing] the welfare state, which is one of Europes contribution to modern civilization. *MZ*: Do you have any comments on the Edward Snowden Case? *NC*: First of all, I think he has carried out a heroic act. That is the proper act of a citizen to let people know what their government is doing. For the most part, the public should know what their representatives are doing. Of course, governments never want that. They want to operate in secret. I have spent a lot of time looking through the classified documents in the US, which is maybe the freest society, most of the documents are classified to protect the government against its own population and not for security reasons. I think anyone who tries to lift the veil on this is doing the right thing. In fact, the programs that the government was carrying out are really illegitimate and it was correct to expose them. I think he is going to suffer for it. You know. But it was the right thing to do. *MZ*: After 9/11, the Americans asked, Why does the rest of the world hate us? Is it possible for us to ask, why do the Americans hate us? *NC*: I think it is kind of interesting...because the question was asked a long time ago in 1958 when then-President Eisenhower asked his staff why is there a campaign of hatred against us in the Arab world, and not from the governments which are supportive, but from the population. That same year, 1958, the National Security Council, the main planning body, came out with a document it has been in the public domain for four years in which they explained, they said that there is a perception in the Arab world that the US supports dictatorships and blocks democracy, and that we do it because we want to maintain control of their resources, their energy supplies. [The document said] this is what we ought to be doing, even though there will be a campaign of hatred against us. That was 1958, and if you think of that year, that was right after Eisenhower had forced Britain, France, and Israel out of Egypt, so you might expect that there would not be a campaign of hatred, but there was. And those were the perceived reasons and pretty much the right ones. After 9/11 George W. Bush, raised the question, why do they hate us? They hate our freedom and so on. The Pentagon Research Bureau did come out with a study, and their conclusions were the same as the National Security Council in 1958. *MZ*: The second question: Why do they hate us? Why do the Americans hate us? *NC*: Why the Americans ? They dont. Why the American population? The American population does not have any idea about them. *MZ*: American policymakers? First of all, Israel was not opposed to Assad. He has been more or less the kind of dictator they wanted. He has done the kind of things they wanted.*NC *: For the reasons that the National Security Council discussed. You have to block democracy and support dictatorships in order to control their resources. And the Middle East is not different from anywhere else. Why did they support Suharto in Indonesia? Same reasons. *MZ*: What do you think of Israel? *NC*: Israel made a really faithful decision in 1971. In 1971, Israel was offered a full peace treaty by Egypt, nothing for the Palestinians, just full peace, full security, for the withdrawal from the Egyptian Sinai. Since then, it has been the same policy [of] expansion over security, but it is not unusual to do that. That is what states usually do, they are not concerned pretty much with security, but rather power. And thats Israels choice. It can continue because the US supports it. If the US stops supporting it, it could not continue. Israel is making extremely threatening remarks right now about Lebanon. I am not sure if you have been following it. But it is kind of in the background. They are not coming out with big public statements, but if you read the statements from people in intelligence, the military, and government, what they are saying publicly is that they are not going to allow weapons to go to Hezbollah, but what they say furthermore, is that theyve learned the lessons of the last war, and they are not going to make those mistakes again. The next time, the war will be over in days, which means that they are going to wipe Lebanon out. *MZ*: You dont think the US will do anything to stop it at a certain level? *NC*: Not under Obama. Hes the first US president who has imposed no restrictions on Israel. Every other president, at various times, imposed limits that Israel could not go beyond, like Reagan for example. Reagan supported the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, but in mid-August he ordered Israel to stop it because it was becoming harmful to US interests. *MZ*: Would you link Obamas decision to arm the Syrian revolution with Israel? *NC*: These are separate. First of all, Israel was not opposed to Assad. He has been more or less the kind of dictator they wanted. He has done the kind of things they wanted. The US has no opposition to Assad. He was cooperating on intelligence and they did not like everything, but he was pretty satisfactory. In fact, if Israel and the US really did want to undermine the Assad regime and to support the rebels, they have very straightforward ways to do it without arms. Israel could considerably mobilize forces in the Golan Heights. If they mobilize forces in the north, the Syrians are compelled to respond by mobilizing forces. But they do not do it, which can only mean they do not want the regime to fall. *MZ*: Would you call the Arab Spring, the Arab Spring, or would you give it another name? *NC*: I think it was a good name. But now it is I do not know if it is an Arab Winter, but at least an Arab Autumn. I suspect there will another spring I do not think that is a stable situation, probably more of the same. It seems to me a continuing process, and as I said, it is going on all over the world in different forms. *MZ*: Are you still optimistic? *NC*: You do not really have a choice. Objectively, we will probably all be under water in another generation or two, so not that it all matters, but there are certain possibilities for hope and progress. ---------------------------------------------------------- http://eaworldview.com/2013/06/18/syria-today-talk-and-little-else-at-g8-summit/ Syria Today: Talk and Little Else at G8 Summit inShare Photo: Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland (Kevin LeMarque/Reuters) *Jump to Latest Update<http://eaworldview.com/2013/06/18/syria-today-talk-and-little-else#latest-at-g8-summit/> * *As expected<http://eaworldview.com/2013/06/17/syria-today-big-powers-talk-again/>, Mondays talks on Syria at the summit of the Group of 8 industrialised countries produced rhetoric and little more.* Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Barack Obama met,as the leaders of the two countries proposing an international peace conference but divided over key issues such as the future of President Assad. At their press appearance, Putin said<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/06/2013617205126483102.html>, Our positions do not fully coincide, but we are united by the common intention to end the violence and to stop the number of victims increasing in Syria. We agreed to push the process of peace talks and encourage the parties to sit down at the negotiation table, organise the talks in Geneva. *Obama said the US and Russia have a different perspective on Syria, but asserted a shared interest in stopping the violence and securing chemical weapons in the country.* ------------------------------ Latest Updates, From Top to Bottom Casualties The Local Coordination Committees claim tha 76 people were killed t on Monday, including 23 in Aleppo Province and 22 in Damascus and its suburbs. The Violations Documentations Center <https://www.vdc-sy.info/index.php/en> records 63,892 deaths since the start of the conflict in March 2011, an increase of 86 from Monday. Of the dead, 49,182 are civilians, a rise of 48 from yesterday. Regime Stresses Reconstruction of al-Qusayr The Syrian regime is emphasizing reconstruction in al-Qusayr, after taking control of the town on the Syrian border with Lebanon and 35 km south of Homs from insurgent forces on June 5. State media reported <http://sana.sy/eng/21/2013/06/17/487987.htm> on Monday that Syrias Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs, Omar Ghalwanji, had announced an investment of 300 million Syrian pounds in the form of 100,000 SYP individual payments to locals for reconstruction efforts. Footage of visit by regime officials to Qusayr on Monday to publicize reconstruction efforts: Those reconstruction efforts include restoring electricity and water supplies to the town, as well as local hospitals and medical facilities projects that Iran has pledged to help with across Syria. ADD LINK. *Why is the Syrian regime placing so much emphasis on reconstruction when the conflict is ongoing?* Reconstruction efforts are important for two major reasons. First, by rebuilding towns like Qusayr, whose infrastructure is so badly damaged by intense fighting, the regime can encourage citizens to return to their homes, securing the town against incursions by insurgents and reducing the likelihood of local unrest caused by internal refugees. Second, by publicizing its investments into reconstruction, and by giving local people large cash handouts to rebuild their homes, the Syrian regime is gaining the support of local people. Iran which has pledged to assist Syria <http://eaworldview.com/2013/06/18/iran-today-rouhani-draws-his-lines-carefully/#syria>with more reconstruction projects across the country is more than well aware of the power that these actions have. Iran has invested enormous sums into similar reconstruction projects into areas of southern Lebanon damaged in the Second Lebanon War in 2006, building not only homes but also infrastructure, gardens and mosques. Hamas Calls for Hezbollah Withdrawal from Syria The Palestinian organisation Hamas on Monday has urged<http://news.yahoo.com/hamas-urges-former-ally-hezbollah-leave-syria-154307330.html> Lebanons Hezbollah to withdraw its forces from Syria and keep its weapons directed at the Zionist enemy (Israel). Hamas said that sending forces to Syria contributed to the sectarian polarization in the region. Tehran Ups Reconstruction Projects In Syria As Damascus Signs Agreements on Energy, Medicine, Food Iran is to step up its reconstruction efforts in Syria, signing agreements on Monday to rebuild electricity stations destroyed in the 27-month conflict, according to Syrian State media. Ahead of Ramadan, Tehran has also pledged<http://sana.sy/eng/24/2013/06/17/488015.htm> to send food, medicine, medical equipment and oil products to the Syrian government. The Iranian Foreign Ministers Special Advisor for Economic Affairs, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi formerly Tehrans Ambassador to Iraq said that in addition to agreements over health, oil, electricity, and foodstuffs, Tehran will provide Assads government with a $3.5 billion credit line. The announcement comes after Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said Sunday that Damascus had exempted Iranian products from customs duty, to facilitate the flow of Iranian goods into Syria. Iran has said that<http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-06/17/c_132459403.htm> it plans to carry out a range of development projects in Syria, including constructing flour mills as well as constructing and reconstructing electricity power plants. Tehrans reconstruction projects facilitated in part by the Revolutionary Guards seek to bolster the Assad regime at a critical time as temperatures rise this summer, electricity outages become more and more common, and food shortages grow. Obama Damps Down Talk of No-Fly Zones President Obama has continued the public retreat<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22947256#TWEET793074> from leaks that his Administration is considering no-fly zones, enforced by American aircraft. Obama told the US Public Broadcasting Service on Monday, If you set up a no-fly zone, that you may not be actually solving the problem on the zone .We have to not rush into one more war in the Middle East. Last week, as news emerged that the US will start direct supplies of arms to the insurgency, American officials told The Wall Street Journal that plans were being circulated for a 25-mile no-fly zone in southern Syria, backed up by US warplanes on Jordanian bases. Syrian Pound Falls Almost 25% in A Day The Syrian pound fell almost 25%<http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/8288331.html> from 170:1 to 210:1 against the US dollar on Monday, as s rushed to markets to buy basic food stuff and commodities. Media reported a meeting among top Syrian officials and economists, including the Governor of the Central Bank and exchange dealers. Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi insisted that the Government has large reserves of foreign exchange to provide all the needs of the Syrian market of imported goods and production inputs. Al-Halqi pronounced <http://sana.sy/eng/24/2013/06/17/488026.htm>, The great victories of the Syrian Arab Army in addition to the measures taken by the government on all levels would gradually restore stability to the Syrian pound and national economy. The Governor of the Central Bank, Adib Mayaleh, declared that the bank would continue its policy of intervention to keep up the price of the pound, insisting the rate of the dollar in the black market was false and illogical. CBS will provide the exchanging institutions and the Commercial Bank of Syria with the foreign currency by acceptable prices in order to meet the citizens requests to buy the foreign currencies according to regulations which sell each citizen an amount of 1000 Euro per month, Mayaleh said, according to SANA. ** Economist Suleiman Suleiman was not so hopeful: All solutions generated by the economic kitchen, including the monetary fund and the Governor of the Central Bank, have been of no avail. 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