*I have posted for over two years to this list about Syria and the Assad regime, so this is nothing new and I am against intervention by everyone but for years the so called Left of cabal of Stalinist's like Workers World, Party for Socialism and Liberation and groups FROC has given a free hand for the Assad fascist regime from the get go. That is just as bad as some who give cover to Obama,Qatar, Turkey, the Saudis, the Iranian regime and Russian and Chinese imperialists and all the sub imperialists on all sides.* * * *Cort*
On Thu, Aug 29, 2013 at 12:38 PM, <scotpe...@cruzio.com> wrote: > Actually, what I don't understand is the mad rush to get everyone to agree > that Assad was the one who gassed his people while he had the UN > Investigators already in country BEFORE a Complete Investigation could be > done. What was the rush, the urgency of cementing this as a reality before > the UN and others could complete an Investigation? > > This is what Obama was asking for so he could go over the red line. Did > thy need any help from the left? > > Now the same sources who helped Validate Obama and Kerry to have a reason > to start WW III, are counseling against war. > > Sheesh, I don't understand, actually I'm afraid I might actually > understand. > > Scott > > > *No to Imperialism! No to Assad! No to Religious Fundamentalism! > > * > > * > > * > > *For the Socialist Revolution in Syria, Egypt and the Middle East!* > > * > > * > > > > *Download the leaflet > > here<http://www.socialist.net/images/leaflets/hands_off_syria.pdf> > > * > > > > *Read the full article > > here<http://www.socialist.net/syria-no-to-imperialist-aggression.htm> > > * > > > > > http://www.marxist.com/syria-no-to-imperialist-aggression-august-2013.htm > > > > > > Syria - No to imperialist > > aggression!< > http://www.marxist.com/syria-no-to-imperialist-aggression-august-2013.htm> > > Written by Francesco MerliTuesday, 27 August 2013 > > [image: > > Print]< > http://www.marxist.com/syria-no-to-imperialist-aggression-august-2013/print.htm > >[image: > > E-mail]< > http://www.marxist.com/component/option,com_mailto/link,a11df180c0326d6c063096c03534a52f90d2bb66/tmpl,component/ > > > > > > - > > - > > - > > > > The war drums in Washington are beating their macabre tune out loud, > > announcing an imminent US attack on Syria. In the UK, the faithful > squire, > > Cameron, is willingly echoing the call. Parliament is expected to back > the > > military option in an emergency meeting convened for Thursday, August > > 29th. > > Direct imperialist intervention marks a fundamental change in the > > situation > > in Syria after the spiralling sectarian civil war had wiped away the > > revolutionary potential of the anti-regime protests sparked in January > > 2011 > > by the events of the Arab spring. > > > > [image: > > syria-the-good-old-cold-war-game]< > http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/economy/syria-the-good-old-cold-war-game.gif > > > > syria-the-good-old-cold-war-gameCaught in the mechanism of a bloody civil > > war, the revolution has been mercilessly pushed back. The sectarian > spiral > > strengthened the grip of the Assad regime over the Alawite and Christian > > minorities and the urban population threatened by the rising tide of > > Islamic Sunni fundamentalist reaction within the opposition. Reaction > took > > over on both sides. > > > > Once the opposition switched from a mass movement of the youth against > the > > oppressive regime to a military struggle, the masses were relegated to > the > > background and the ability of the revolutionary youth to appeal to the > > mass > > of the population and break the barrier of sectarian divide along class > > lines was neutralised. Thus, the question of who had access to weapons, > > supplies, etc., became increasingly decisive within the opposition camp, > > marking the rise of black reaction in the form of Sunni Jihadist armies > > mainly around Jabhat Al-Nusra. These armies, joined by foreign > mercenaries > > and fuelled by generous donations and arms from Qatar and other Gulf > > patrons, were catapulted to the front of the battle. Any residual > > revolutionary element has since then been completely marginalised or > > crushed. > > > > [image: US army mission Syrian border-US Army Europe Staff Sgt Joel > > Salgado]< > http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/syria/US_army_mission_Syrian_border-US_Army_Europe_Staff_Sgt_Joel_Salgado.jpg > >As > > we were warning in > > June<http://www.marxist.com/no-to-imperialist-intervention-in-syria.htm > >, > > US imperialism eventually resolved to step up direct intervention by > > supplying arms and by training the Free Syrian Army in a desperate > attempt > > to change the relations of forces within the opposition and prevent the > > Jihadists from consolidating their leading position. > > > > This attempt was too little too late. Obama failed miserably to win the > > backing of Congress, while the military situation swiftly changed in > > favour > > of the Assad regime which is clearly winning the war, thus forcing US > > imperialism to rush into a more direct intervention in order to slow down > > and eventually prevent the consolidation of the Syrian regime's military > > advance. > > > > The key to understanding the present situation lies precisely in the > > dramatic turn taken by events on the Syrian battle ground. > > Is the Assad regime using chemical weapons? > > > > On Wednesday, August 21st, news broke out of an attack with Sarin gas or > > some other chemical agent killing hundreds of civilians in an opposition > > controlled area of Damascus. Almost immediately (and in some cases even * > > before* the alleged attack took place) videos showing scores of corpses > > and > > hospitals full of suffering civilians, especially children, were > published > > on the internet claiming that the attack was carried out by government > > forces. > > > > The justification for the announced US attack is based on alleged > > evidence assembled in yet another dossier botched up by US > > intelligence > > which is claiming the use of chemical weapons against the civilian > > population by the Assad regime. > > > > Over the weekend, US president Obama called his national security team > > together and ordered it to prepare a declassified report for public > > release > > before any military strike commences. On Monday, US Secretary of State > > John > > Kerry stated that the evidence is screaming at us that chemical weapons > > were used in Syria, and that Syria's use of chemical weapons should > shock > > the conscience of the world. > > > > As stated many times over the last months by US government sources, and > > reiterated by a deputy national security advisor to Obama on June 14, > the > > use of chemical weapons violates international norms and crosses red > lines > > that have existed in the international community for decades thus > > providing a providential excuse to back up plans for an attack on Syria. > > > > We don't know whether there is any grain of truth in this dossier. > > Chemical weapons are most likely in the hands of both the Syrian army and > > the armed opposition gangs. If chemical weapons were used at all in this > > particular attack, it could have been the result of a tragic mistake on > > the > > part of the Syrian Army, as some commentators have suggested, or a > > desperate move gone out of control on the part of one of the factions of > > the armed opposition in order to provoke US intervention or it could be > > simply plainly false. > > > > But certainly there is no interest in establishing the truth, not by the > > US > > government desperate for an excuse to intervene nor by the > demoralised > > forces of the armed opposition, who see US intervention as the only way > to > > resurrect their chances to turn the war around. > > > > To whomever nurtures hopes (as unfortunately seems to be the case for > most > > of the leaders of the international left and trade union movement) that > > the > > United Nations could play a role in preventing an escalation of the > > conflict, suffice it to repeat what we stated in June: > > > > The UN is an irrelevance. Diplomacy has been brushed aside by events on > > the field of battle. War will now decide everything. > > > > *On the other side, we cannot emphasize enough that the Assad regime does > > not need to use chemical weapons to crush their opponents and in fact > it > > would be complete madness for them to do so conceding the US a very much > > sought after excuse to directly intervene in the conflict.* > > > > The balance of forces in this war has turned quite dramatically during > the > > last few months and the Syrian army has proven to be quite capable of > > overpowering the armed capabilities of the opposition. > > > > In war, truth is the first casualty the notorious phrase attributed > to > > Aeschilus goes but even according to the low standards of war > > propaganda, > > this appears to be a complete farce. > > > > This situation cannot but remind us of the dossier upon which George > > Bush > > and Tony Blair solemnly swore and solemnly lied that the Iraqi regime > > of Saddam Hussein was in possession of weapons of mass destruction, > > thusjustifying > > the US led aggression in Iraq in 2003. > > What are the real aims of US imperialism? > > > > But the point is not just whether chemical weapons have been used or not > > and by whom. After more than 100,000 deaths in this bloody civil war in > > Syria over the last two years, the US government is now becoming suddenly > > extremely concerned by the killing of women and children and innocent > > civilians. How many have been killed before by weapons supplied by the > > imperialist powers to one or the other side of this bloody proxy war > > Russia and Iran in support of the Assad regime and the unholy alliance of > > US, Britain, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia on the other side? > > > > The sheer number of victims speaks for itself. Does it matter that > > children > > are executed in the streets or in front of their parents by reactionary > > thugs for defying the rules of so-called Islamic laws, or killed in one > of > > the many bombardments of whole neighbourhoods carried out by the rebels > > (or > > by the Syrian army) with conventional weapons? Does it matter that > > entire > > families are rounded up, locked up in a building and blown up with > > dynamite > > as happened in Khalidiya just because they happen to be of Christian or > > Alawite descent? Clearly all this is not enough to cross the red line > of > > imperialist hypocrisy. > > > > And will the US intelligent cruise missiles discriminate between > > military > > personnel and civilians once they wipe away parts of Syrian cities in a > > ball of fire? Who will bear the consequences of the destruction of > > infrastructure, communication, energy and water supplies, and the long > > term > > devastating consequences of a surgical use of US conventional weapons > > of mass destruction (like the depleted uranium shells of the bombs thrown > > down upon the former Yugoslavia)? It will be the same children and > > civilians these stinking hypocrites are claiming to defend. > > > > How will these children and civilians be helped by a barrage of cruise > > missiles hitting their country? But above all, what are the real aims of > > imperialist intervention? > > > > The declared aim to strike against the Syrian regime's military assets as > > a > > warning not to use chemical weapons is risible. So is the pretence to > > destroy the deposits of chemical weapons, as if the Syrian army were > > patiently waiting for the US military strategists to take their time over > > the past months without having put in place elementary countermeasures to > > protect their stocks of weapons and defend their military operational > > capability from air strikes. > > > > Maybe a glimpse of the real aim of the threatened military attack could > be > > given by the following comment published on Sunday by the *New York > > Times*: > > > > But the Obama administration should resist the temptation to intervene > > more forcefully in Syrias civil war. A victory by either side would be > > equally undesirable for the United States. > > > > At this point, a prolonged stalemate is the only outcome that would not > > be > > damaging to American interests. (NYT, August 25) > > > > The most plausible aim of US intervention seems to us to be that of > > seriously affecting the Syrian Army's ability of taking advantage of the > > momentum gained in their offensive against the opposition armies. The US > > military strategists are aiming at buying them some time so that they can > > reorganise and re-establish a situation of stalemate, where *war > continues > > without any of the opponents being able to win it*. This scenario would > > open up the opportunity for the imperialists to manoeuvre and reach an > > agreement behind the backs of the suffering masses through diplomacy and > a > > so-called peace conference. So goodbye to the cries of defending > unarmed > > children and civilians from the threat of the monstrous Assad regime! > > > > It is a dangerous even desperate move on the part of US imperialism, > > which may be ineffective at best and drag them into a much deeper direct > > involvement in the conflict much feared by US military strategists. The > > Syrian war has already the characteristics of a proxy war between > > important > > imperialist powers in the region. > > > > According to some sources, the Russian military has already delivered > > advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile batteries for Assad, operated by > > Russian technicians. What the consequences will be of a US air strike > > killing Russian soldiers is open for speculation. The US attack may be > > launched from four missile destroyers that the US Navy has deployed in > the > > area in recent days. But the options for the US to strike Syria include > > air > > force bases in several Mediterranean countries, Turkey amongst them. > > > > Partly in response to this, Russia has, for the first time in decades, > > announced the establishment of a permanent presence in the Mediterranean > > and has moved several large landing ships, supply ships and destroyers to > > the area. > > > > Throughout the international media we are witnessing the beginning of a > > propaganda campaign aimed at preparing public opinion for a direct > > military intervention on the part of US imperialism and its minor > > partners. > > > > It is an elementary duty for revolutionaries internationally to unmask > the > > real interests of imperialism and oppose this intervention, which has > > nothing to do with humanitarian considerations. The Syrian masses are > just > > pawns in a larger cynical chess game of the imperialist powers. > > > > Imperialism has nothing to offer to the Syrian people and the masses in > > the > > Middle East. Over the last three years millions took to the streets > > demanding decent living conditions, work, bread, dignity, an end to > > corruption and brutal repressive regimes. The revolutionary forces have > > succeeded in overthrowing some of these hated regimes, but have failed so > > far in overthrowing the system which created them and the ruling classes > > which were benefiting from them. In some cases, as in Libya and Syria, > > this > > failure has been paid for with civil war and bloody reaction, and we have > > seen that even the most basic aspirations of the masses can never be met > > within the system of capitalism. > > > > Our appeal to the Syrian youth and working class, regardless of religious > > and ethnic divisions, is not to trust the imperialists, neither to trust > > Assad or the reactionary opposition, but to prepare and join your > brothers > > and sisters and the masses of the Middle East in the common struggle > > against capitalism and imperialist oppression. More revolutionary > upsurges > > are being prepared throughout the whole region and it is here where the > > path lies for the liberation of the masses in the Arab world. > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Unsubscribe: <mailto:laamn-unsubscr...@egroups.com> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Subscribe: <mailto:laamn-subscr...@egroups.com> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Digest: <mailto:laamn-dig...@egroups.com> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Help: <mailto:laamn-ow...@egroups.com?subject=laamn> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Post: <mailto:la...@egroups.com> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/laamn@egroups.com> > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Yahoo! 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