Strikes on Syria: US, UK, France Saving Face by Not Owning Up to the Failed Regime-Change War

Rasa - Whether the United States and company want to forget something they are not proud of, in this case the failed regime-change war on Syria, or embellish it and blame and accuse somebody else, in this case Syrian government allegedly bombing its own people with purported chemical weapons, it should be clear by now that the warmongers are desperate to save face by not owning up to their shortcomings, frustration and humiliation in the seven-year conflict.

News ID: 437232

Date: 16 April 2018 - 23:13

RNA - Here, US President Donald Trump claims the Saturday morning attack was a robust response to the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syria, targeting installations associated with those purported weapons in the area of Damascus. US defense department officials also briefed reporters after Trump’s announcement, detailing strikes on three targets over a 70-minute period. They confirmed that the operation had concluded and said no further strikes were planned.

To be sure, there were no Syrian government research facilities, and certainly no military chemical weapons storage facilities for the warmongers to strike. Under a deal with the United Nations, the Syrian government destroyed its chemical agents more than three years ago. Mind you, this is not a disinformation campaign by those who have aligned themselves with the Syrian government, including Iran and Russia either. This is plain truth, and nothing but the truth:

For one thing, the desperate move on Saturday does not change the strategic picture that the US and a host of allies have lost the war on Syria, and that all they can do right now is to ask their occupying troops to pack up and leave. Stated differently, with this also goes the chances of a peaceful and sustainable resolution to that country’s brutal seven-year civil war. The airstrikes by the US, the UK and France, and the subsequent warning by Syria, Iran, Russia and the United Nations show just how dangerous that escalation could be for the prospects of peace talks and security for Syria and the world.

US President Donald Trump’s bluster in the wake of the chemical attack exposes the incoherence and contradictions of his approach, as well as his lack of any real strategy in Syria. Ordering an attack or two against Syrian forces, as he has just done, will neither alter the balance of power there, nor improve Trump’s position in the war-torn country, let alone the Middle East in general.

To be sure, Trump’s top military advisers have persuaded him to keep in place the 2,000 military troops currently stationed in Syria. But he has already limited America’s objectives there to allegedly eliminate the small remaining Daesh presence – an effort that he claims should take about six months. In continuing the occupation, Trump has forfeited the opportunity to help shape Syria’s future, reinforcing the widespread perception – which has taken hold among friends and foes alike – that US troops are not in Syria for democracy – they are there for the long haul, including protecting Israel. Trump has also disregarded Syria’s ongoing humanitarian crisis, and its successful battle against ISIL and Al-Qaeda – in collaboration with Iran and Russia.

Ironically, this narrow approach also undermines the effort to achieve the US regime change objective in Damascus, for a regime change will demand a credible motive that permanently ends the war and it requires power, something the US showed today that it doesn't have. Such a transition will be possible only if Syria’s government is not an elected government and won’t fight back. The problem is, Syria has an elected government and an elected president that are fighting back, chosen and supported by people. These are the same people that after hearing several explosions in the Eastern and Southern parts of the capital of Damascus immediately took to the streets en masse in support of their government on Saturday. They also waved flags of Syria, Iran and Russia in the streets in a show of appreciation for their government.

All this should be more than enough to substantiate that the desperate airstrikes amalgamated with Trump’s so-called withdrawal plans that he announced immediately on live TV Friday imply that the US and its allies have lost the regime-change war. The end of the US role in Syria has arrived as Damascus, Moscow and Tehran together condemned the unjustified attacks and made it absolutely clear that they will forge ahead with their plan to recapture the remaining terror-held territories at all costs - without making any real concessions to the terrorist groups’ American-Saudi-Israeli patrons.

Long story short, the people of Syria – and not Iran and Russia – are the biggest winners of this war. Whereas the US and its duped allies have lost the big time on all fronts – even diplomatically at the United Nations. The regime changers are unable to fill the vacuum left by their Daesh proxy forces, and the cool minds in Tehran and Moscow are making sure the fireworks on Saturday won’t provide the spark the warmongers so desperately need to ignite a region-wide war that we all know could easily transform itself into World War III.

Source: Fars News Agancy

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