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Leila's latest article is very timely. Just in the last week or so, the Assad-Putin terror in Idlib and northwest Syria has stepped up, with more hospitals bombed, countless civilians killed, a refugee camp hit etc, all the usual. Of course, for most of the world media, and the global left, the ongoing grisly mass-murder of Arabs by Assad is nowhere near as interesting as solidarity with "the Kurds" under attack by Erdogan. That's a particular kind of Orientalism shared by the western left, right and centre. One of the justifications for essentially supporting the Assadist terror (which dwarfs the killing during the Turkish invasion even at the height of the invasion) is the western-media-created discourse that Idlib is a "terrorist enclave", a neocon/war on terror discourse lapped up by much of the global left, and especially by Apoists. Even if it were true, why this would justify massive terror against millions of civilians - an idea the left has traditionally argued against - is unclear. But of course, it is a filthy lie. Leila here talks about the ongoing revolutionary movement of the masses, which challenges not only Assad, but also HTS, the hard-line Islamist group that dominates much of the province (and that the western media and its leftist echo call "al-Qaida"). Alongside the ongoing uprising in Deir Ezzor in the east - which has been under SDF control but is now mobilising to prevent any return of Assadist forces under the Assad-SDF agreement - and ongoing assassinations of Assadist officials in Daraa in the south (formerly revolution territory which was reconquered by Assad last year), this popular uprising in Idlib reflects the regional revolutionary wave that has engulfed Lebanon, Iraq and recently Egypt, all pro-Assad regimes. Incidentally, the slaughter of hundreds of Iraqis by the US/Iran-backed Iraqi regime and by Iranian-backed death squads, and the violent attacks on the revolution in Lebanon by Hezbollah and its ally Amal, alongside the Iran regime's attack on the regional uprising as being a "Zionist" conspiracy (sadly lacking originality these ancient mullah-brains), are further evidence (as if we needed it after Syria) that the so-called 'Axis of Resistance' is merely the Axis of Resistance to Arab freedom. Leila al-Shami: In September large scale protests erupted against HTS and the continuing aerial bombardment of the province by the regime and Russia. The regime intensified its assault on the province in April conducting a scorched-earth campaign against residential areas which has caused around half a million to flee, has killed over 1,000 and has directly targeted civilian infrastructure including over 50 hospitals and medical centres. The dominant narrative promoted by the regime and supporters of Syrian fascism is that Idlib is a ‘terrorist enclave’. The presence of a few thousand extremist militants is presented as justification for the campaign of extermination waged against Idlib’s civilian population of some 3 million people, which includes 1 million children. Today’s uprising should challenge this narrative. Syrians have continually resisted all forms of authoritarianism and sought to defend their autonomy and desire for freedom and democracy since 2011. Despite being trapped between the regime and extremists, Idlib remains home to many inspiring civil initiatives and outpourings of creative resistance. Just a few weeks ago, 20 year old rapper Amir Al Muarri released the fierce track ‘On All Fronts’ <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNd8p8ONf2I>produced in Idlib. The video (which has subtitles in English, Spanish and Russian) provides a portrait of the province and the diversity of its residents who continue to survive and resist despite living apocalyptic conditions. He spares no criticism for the brutality of the regime, the armed factions which have hijacked the revolution and the foreign interventions of Russia, Iran and Turkey. Full: https://leilashami.wordpress.com/2019/11/09/idlib-resists/ _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
