Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Freedom Rider: Assad is Winning
Margaret Kimberley, BAR editor and senior columnist
07 Sep 2017
Freedom Rider: Assad is Winning
Freedom Rider: Assad is Winning

“Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton should be vilified for the rest of their lives for what they did in Libya and Syria.”

The five-year long regime change effort in Syria may soon be over and the United States and its allies will be the losers. The Syrian Arab Army broke the siege of Deir Ezzor, which was one of the last Daesh strongholds in the country.

The neocon plot for American hegemony was hatched during the George W. Bush administration but was happily continued by Barack Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Fresh from their evil success in Libya, they thought the same combination of Arab monarchs and jihadists could dislodge Bashar al Assad and achieve the goal of destroying the few secular Arab governments still in power. But fortunately for humanity, Assad hung on long enough and the Russian Federation finally decided to back up their ally with military help.

It is good news that this war may soon be over. The United States and its allies committed a terrible crime against the Syrian people and five million of them were forced to flee their country to escape this latest example of state sponsored terrorism. There is no downside to Assad making good on his promise to take back his country from American sponsored jihadists.

“The United States and its allies committed a terrible crime against the Syrian people.”

The United States corporate media isn’t saying very much about Syria lately and that is a sure sign that victory is on the way. So is Israeli president Netanyahu’s meeting with Vladimir Putin. Things didn’t fall into place like the regime changers thought. Israel and others must move on to Plan B. Syria, Russia and Iran are the winners and that was not how things were supposed to play out.

One can never say what is on Donald Trump’s mind but it appears that his administration isn’t going to fight for this particular lost cause. But one never knows. Another false flag chemical weapons attack may be in the offing and the response from the unpredictable president could reignite the fire that is going out. The losers did not undertake their scheme with a plan to lose and they may still pose dangers.

But the moments of victory surely ought to be celebrated, as the people of Deir Ezzor did when they were freed from ISIS control. This should also be a moment for circumspection and honesty about the American government and the awful crime that was committed with bipartisan and international support.

“There is no downside to Assad making good on his promise to take back his country from American sponsored jihadists.”

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton should be vilified for the rest of their lives for what they did in Libya and Syria. Obama should not be given a pass because he has better manners than his boorish successor. Not only was Syria very nearly destroyed, but its people were scattered all over the world in an effort to escape warfare in their homeland. The disruption to European governments came about because they chose to stand with their partner in crime and parrot “Assad must go” instead of standing up to the hegemon. They even paid Turkish president Erdogan, one of the instigators of the crime, $3 billion to keep refugees from using his country as an escape route. His double dealing certainly paid off.

A Syrian victory is to be applauded as it will make the United States think twice about trying the same thing anywhere else. The defeat also weakens Saudi Arabia and its campaign of terror against Yemen or any other country it should choose to target.

The consequence of trying to strengthen America’s hand had the opposite effect. Russia is more engaged in the world, not less. China and Russia are closer. Iran and Hezbollah are stronger. All of the parties declared as enemies or adversaries or the axis of evil have emerged as the winners.

“The left must always oppose regime change and must always support the forces who fight against it.”

Those on the left who are resolute in their condemnation of American aggression are the rhetorical winners. Let there be no confusion in the future. The left must always oppose regime change and must always support the forces who fight against it as the Syrian government has done. There should be no confusion about “good” and “bad” targets of aggression. United States foreign policy must be opposed, especially when it claims a responsibility to protect, or fight genocide or declare any other excuse for its aggression.

The pro regime change clique are only left with name calling. Labeling Assad a butcher is the substitute for victory they thought was certain. The United States government is fortunately not the only player on the world stage. The other actors do well when they unify and keep its awful plans in check.

Margaret Kimberley's Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well as at http://freedomrider.blogspot.com. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com.

 

Syria

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles. Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Alexander Rubinstein
Black Money, Black Flags: How USAID Paved the Way for Syria’s Militant Takeover
22 January 2025
The United States leverages soft power through NGOs such as USAID.
Essam Elkorghli
Syria’s Fall and Anti-Imperialist Lessons
18 December 2024
Similar to a predator realizing it is losing a fight and is reaching its end, the U.S.
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
War Propaganda and the Fall of Syria
11 December 2024
A succession of U.S. presidents have been committed to regime change in Syria.
Black Alliance For Peace
Syria: The Return to the Scene of Obama’s Crime
11 December 2024
The US regime change campaign against Syria began after Barack Obama succeeded in destroying the Libyan state.
Aseel Saleh
Terrorist Groups Take Control Over Key Areas in Northwestern Syria amid Fierce Clashes with Government Forces
04 December 2024
The United States has escalated its proxy war in Syria with the help of jihadist allies and continues destabilizing the entire West Asia region
more
Jahan Choudhry BAR Comments Editor
Letters from BAR Readers
08 October 2018
"World War Dangers in Syria

More Stories


  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio May 30, 2025
    30 May 2025
    In this week’s segment we talk about jails and prisons in New York City and State and the end of city control of the infamous Rikers Island jail. But first a Washington DC activist analyzes how the…
  • Democratic party where are you
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Afeni on Fighting the Bipartisan Fascist Consensus
    30 May 2025
    Afeni is an activist and lead organizer with Herb and Temple in Washington, DC. She joins us from Oakland to discuss politics in the U.S. and how the people can fight the fascism produced by the…
  • Rikers protest
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Eric Adams Loses Control of Rikers Island to Federal Receivership
    30 May 2025
    Our guest is Melanie Dominguez, Organizing Director, New York with the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. She joins us from New York City to discuss the federal takeover of Rikers Island…
  • Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Charles Rangel and the End of Black Politics
    28 May 2025
    The late Charles Rangel served as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus for more than 40 years. But the goals of Black politics and electoral politics are not necessarily the same.
  • Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: The Intellectual Origins of Imperialism and Zionism, Edward Said, 1977
    28 May 2025
    “In theory and in practice, then, Zionism is a degraded repetition of European imperialism.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us