Trump Is Waging a Permanent War on Syria After ISIL

Rasa - On almost every measure, US President Donald Trump is making life worse for the long-suffering people of Syria.

News ID: 429690

Date: 16 May 2017 - 23:27

RNA - He has authorized the Pentagon regime to arm Kurdish militias in the drive to wrest control of Raqqa and northern parts of Syria. The Kurdish proxy forces, aligned with the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, are fighting under the umbrella of the SDF, a US-backed terrorist group that also includes Qaeda-allied militias. Several hundred American troops are also operating in Syria supporting these proxy forces. US support for the YPG has drawn the ire of Turkey, a NATO ally that considers it an extension of the Kurdish Workers’ Party, known as the PKK, a designated terrorist group that has waged a decades-long campaign against Turkey. But no one at the Pentagon does really care.

At the same time, in northern Syria, US warplanes and artillery units continue to launch strikes against civilian areas on the pretext of fighting ISIL to cover for helicopters ferrying terror proxy forces and their US military advisors behind the Syrian Army lines. The operation has set the stage for a long and presumably bloody occupation of Raqqa and the surrounding regions. This represents a very serious escalation, and so far the media really isn’t reporting on it.

The US has launched hundreds of deadly airstrikes in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in recent months, but putting boots on the ground in Syria signals a new level of participation in a war that Iran and Russia are also fighting. The Syrian government's ambassador to the United Nations has already made clear that recent US military actions constitute an "illegitimate invasion” and occupation. Again, no one at the UN does really care.

Which brings us to the main topic. What we do know is that the US is still at war with Syria, where the language of US foreign policy is violence, terror, and regime change. Unfortunately, most of the UN member states would rather talk about anything else. Trump constantly promises “peace for Syria,” and boasts of targeting terrorist groups. Trump officially buried the current agreement on the de-escalation zones, but in the minds of warmongers that was dead anyway. He even issued a “Syria refugee ban” executive order, which was condemned by the world community.

Beneath the noise, however, the people of Syria are getting betrayed. Trump has introduced no plan for peace talks, let alone a future with self-determination after ISIL. The much-ballyhooed plan to regime change Syria is still glaringly on the table, which actually seeks a permanent war and occupation of the country. Trump has abandoned the initiative he promised in the first 100 days, which would use financial pressures to discourage regional allies from waging wars or seeking protection from the US free of charge. Worse, he’s backed off pressuring Saudi vassals on their ongoing war on Yemen, and in so doing sacrifices American position in the world.

These assaults are only part of the story. This war on Syria isn’t a bug but a feature of a White House that has turned its regime change plan over to Kurdish militias and Al-Qaeda terrorists and stocked its cabinet with warmongers and bigots. Trump could have pushed to forge an international coalition to back his “no war” promises. Instead, he chose to let the war-party Washington and the Pentagon regime, driven by the Military-Industrial Complex and the Christian-Zionist lobby, define his foreign policy priorities.

The question is when the world community will finally understand what has happened. Trump keeps posturing as a war president. The outrage of the day - from Turkey to Syria, Iran, and Russia - captures media attention. Policy is complicated, but the story is clear. Trump is gearing up for a permanent war on Syria – and Islam. The international community should make certain this reality isn’t lost in the din of upcoming $100 billion arms deal for Saudi Arabia.

It may be the 21st century but more than 12 million Syrians still live under the shadow of foreign-backed violence and terrorism. Of those, over six million people have been displaced, with no access to basic food, medicine, and accommodation. Worse, ending the war is not a priority for most governments although Iran and Russia are doing everything they can to ensure the current de-escalation zones agreement holds. They are doing this even if no one else is. They have a big role to play in the fight against terrorism and extremism as well. That’s because the Syrian violence has a bigger global security and humanitarian impact than the Afghan, Iraqi and Yemeni wars combined.

One reason peace in Syria is a low priority for many others is that the United States and its regional allies are largely the decision-makers at the UN and at the regional level, and they often are not really interested in any peace negotiations and ceasefire agreements. They say they will not respect the current agreement between Iran, Russia, and Turkey on the four de-escalation zones aimed at reducing violence in Syria. Regional and global security issues generally get far less attention from them. It’s often maintaining the outmoded status quo before all-inclusive peace and security.

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