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

Syria: The Return to the Scene of Obama’s Crime
Black Alliance For Peace
11 Dec 2024
🖨️ Print Article
Syrian children

The US regime change campaign against Syria began after Barack Obama succeeded in destroying the Libyan state. All of his successors followed the same playbook.

Originally published in Black Alliance for Peace.

Around the world, many hoped that the Russia-negotiated agreement in 2020 between the Syrian, government and the coterie of right-wing Jihadist forces, common criminals and other forces against the government of President Bashar Al-Assad, would finally end the nightmare of war, displacement, torture, and mindless destruction suffered by the Syrian people – victims of  U.S. plans to overthrow all the major nations in the Middle-East that might challenge continued U.S. domination. However, just a few days ago, like cancer, the disease of U.S. imperialism has suddenly metastasized. The Black Alliance for Peace argues that current U.S. imperialist actions in Syria need to be placed in a historical context. It is important to remember that the vicious subversion of Syria, which began in earnest in 2011, was only one of the two criminal assaults that year on nations perceived to be obstacles to U.S. regional hegemony. The other, under U.S. assault, was Libya. In Libya, however, the Western-orchestrated assault resulted in not only the overthrow of the government but the country’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi, being raped and murdered by the right-wing Jihadist friends of the U.S.

Linking the U.S. imperialist assault on Syria to that of Libya is important because it informs how the few authentic anti-imperialist forces that still exist in the U.S. understand and articulate opposition to the moves being made by U.S. and Western imperialism in their desperate attempts to avoid the inevitable end of white world dominance. Our positionality in relationship to the Pan-European white supremacist colonial/capitalist patriarchy compels us to remind our friends and sometimes allies that they cannot pretend to be in solidarity with Palestine and then cheer on the overthrow of one of the few states in the world that has never turned its back on Palestinian people, no matter what one might think of the internal politics of the Syrian state.

Such concerns about the nature of the Syrian state became a cover for defending U.S. imperialism and were expressed by dishonest actors or those who were politically naive. Now that the U.S.-backed jihadists have emerged triumphant, hope for authentic self-determination for the Syrian people has once again been delayed. 

Trump’s absurd claim that the U.S. does not have anything to do with Syria is only a reflection of why he will never gain full control over the state and non-state apparatus that is directing U.S. foreign policy. The notion that whoever is sitting in the white house represents the final and only power of the U.S. state is dangerously naive. Just recall when Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated a ceasefire with Russia in Deir Ezzor, Syria, only to have it ignored by his generals and CIA.   

Reigniting the war in Syria will prolong the tragedy experienced by the people of Syria since 2011. The Black Alliance for Peace will continue to monitor the situation and will not hesitate to reveal the facts as we find them.

Syria
US interventions
Middle East
US foreign policy

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


Related Stories

Timothy Pratt
US seized American heir’s cellphone in violation of treaty agreement, lawyer says
28 October 2026
James ‘Fergie’ Chambers, in prison in Spain, has applied for asylum as the US seeks extradition over alleged "Hamas support." With Spain's help
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
In the same boat?
09 September 2026
BOOM goes tuna and swordfish stuffed brown burlap bags aboardboats blown to smithereens. Presto! Fishing is now narco-trafficking.
Joseph Massad
Who threatens the Arab world: Iran or the US and Israel?
18 March 2026
It should be clear to Gulf Arab states hosting US bases that the American presence does not protect them but instead places them in danger.
The Cuban Institute of Friendship with The Peoples
We Express our Firm Solidarity with the Iranian People: Statement from the ICAP
04 March 2026
In this statement, the Cuban Institute for Friendship of the Peoples (ICAP) expresses solidarity with Iran and condemns the United States and I
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
Standing with Iran
25 February 2026
The task of the left, of all anti-imperialists, is to oppose U.S. aggression around the world.
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
The Anti-Imperialist Imperative: Confronting Globalized Fascism
18 February 2026
Ajamu Baraka, BAR Editor and Columnist, gave this presentation at the U.S. Peace Council Webinar on Iran.
Navid Farnia , Nina Farnia
Iran v. US Imperialism: An Interview with Navid Farnia & Nina Farnia
11 February 2026
A discussion on the protests in Iran, US imperialism, and Iranian resistance.
Black Alliance For Peace
The Black Alliance for Peace Condemns U.S. Intervention in Venezuela and Stands with the Venezuelan People in Their Resistance to U.S. Imperialist War
07 January 2026
The Black Alliance for Peace takes a clear anti-imperialist stance on U.S. intervention in Venezuela.
Luke Goldstein , Lucy Dean Stockton
Corporations Invested In Lawsuits Before Venezuela Invasion
07 January 2026
Trump’s removal of President Nicolas Maduro could tilt international court proceedings and provide a windfall to corporate plaintiffs.
Yusleny Morales , Orinoco Tribune
Venezuela: In Mass Demonstrations, the People Demand Return of President Maduro
07 January 2026
Mass demonstrations in Caracas and throughout Venezuela are a rejection of U.S. regime change.

More Stories


  • Letters from Our Readers 
    Jahan Choudhry BAR Comments Editor
    Letters from Our Readers 
    19 Dec 2019
    This week readers discussed police brutality and the Trump impeachment proceedings.  We share your letters for “
  • The Impending Ruling Class Mental Breakdown and Riot
    Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
    The Impending Ruling Class Mental Breakdown and Riot
    19 Dec 2019
    The outcome of the early primaries may erase Joe Biden’s “electability” luster and plunge the Lords of Capital into a panic in which all bets are off on what’s left of democratic liberties.
  • Freedom Rider: Propaganda and the Defeat of Jeremy Corbyn
    Margaret Kimberley , BAR editor and senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: Propaganda and the Defeat of Jeremy Corbyn
    18 Dec 2019
    If Corbyn can be defeated with a libel it can work just as well on Sanders.
  • The Democratic Party Has a Race Problem in the 2020 Election
    BAR Contributing Editor Danny Haiphong
    The Democratic Party Has a Race Problem in the 2020 Election
    18 Dec 2019
    Harris’ appeals to the “Obama Coalition” and diversity were nothing but attempts to win over the Black vote while remaining loyal to the oligarchs.
  • Pachamama and the Pope
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Pachamama and the Pope
    18 Dec 2019
    The violent coup in Bolivia may have been presaged by events at the Vatican, where right-wing Catholics rebelled against the Pope’s display of respect for the indigenous earth goddess.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us