Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Some speculations about the defeat of terrorist forces in Syria

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Some speculations about the defeat of terrorist forces in Syria

by Ron Horn

Today there is considerable evidence to indicate a victory is near for the Syrian government forces (aided by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah) over the various terrorist armies and ISIS that have been organized and supplied by the US-led Empire, Saudi Arabia and their medieval allies, Turkey, and Israel to remove the Assad government from Syria. The evidence is supplied by the following reports: here, here, here, and here. Yet if you do a Google search, you will find mostly articles from corporate media that claim that the US is defeating ISIS! What an astounding example of turning reality on its head! And yet many Americans will read these articles without any awareness of the opposite reality.

The impending defeat of ISIS got me thinking. I wonder if the failure of the project to remove the Assad government from power might account for the current bitter conflicts within the anti-Syrian coalition, particularly in the Middle East and within the US itself.

Pepe Escobar in his article "Trump's Sword Dance Sets Off the War of the Wahhabis" sheds a lot of light on the confusing conflict in the Middle East following Trump's visit among the Arab geopolitical powers who like to play games of dominance. Trump in his ignorance and blundering apparently ignited the bomb. According to Escobar, the fuels that led to this explosion are oil/gas pipelines, competition among regime change organizations (Wahhabi terrorist armies versus the Muslim Brotherhood), and Qatar's friendly overtures to Iran and Russia.