Syria’s Foreign Ministry today issued a statement condemning a number of top US officials and singling out US State Department spokesman Mark Toner, saying they are “inciting armed groups” to rebel against the military.
The statement comes the same day as a top anti-regime activist issued a statement condemning certain overseas elements within the opposition for their support for foreign military intervention, saying that most of the domestic protest movement does not support such a move.
At the same time, US Ambassador Robert Ford’s efforts to associate himself with the protest movement had pro-Assad demonstrators hurling tomatoes at him today, so the claims that the Obama Administration is “inciting” the opposition isn’t entirely unfounded.
Unfortunately, the administration’s attempts at insinuating themselves into the picture is giving the Syrian regime exactly what it wants, an excuse to paint the entire opposition as American dupes, and crack down further on them. Those crackdowns will, inevitably be used by the US to call for more international meddling, which will further imperil the peaceful protesters.
Would the US interfere with what is going on in Syria? Well, based upon past history–Central and Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, etc. the answer is a resounding YES.
Prior to 1970, Syria was a political basket case. It was an area of intrigue for Britain, France and the US. Various Arab states spent money and arms to achieve, or block their opponents, goals.
For all the coverage that Syria has received, the US/EU never really investigated where the money was coming from that provided the phones, supplied the facilities for overseas dissidents, and now arms. If someone is spending hours on a computer organizing revolts, then how does that person live? Who selects these people to give widespread media attention and turn them into “superheroes?”
The jumping up and down for joy over Syria does not translate into other nations–Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Jordan, or any other Gulf country. Where are the internet revolutionaries for these countries? Where is the daily stories about their struggles? Where are all these video phones?
Mr. Ditz, as with so many others, has forgotten the lessons of Iraq or Libya. If you want to destroy a government or intervene, you need to create a “buzz” about the villainy of the target in order to justify involvement. What is really going or who is really backing this rebellion will not be known for years. But by then, the “freedom fighters” will have done the task defined for them–overthrow one more of the neocons’ hit list.