Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Inder Comar — Four Lessons From the Strike on Syria

The lessons from last weekend’s strike on Syria by the United States of America and two of its allies do not bode well for the future of democracy or the future of peace, says Inder Comar. 
More warnings than lessons. "It can't happen here."
Inder Comar

Related

Are most Americans "good Americans" like the "good Germans" that not only did not oppose Hitler but elected him and stood by him when he later made war illegally and aggressively for idealistic reasons?
The fact that this poll did not show close to 100% contempt by the American people regarding what the U.S. government and its two allies, UK and France, had just done, indicates not only that the American people are astoundingly ignorant that the U.S. and its allies are international outlaws and warmongers (which makes sense for a nation that invaded and destroyed Iraq 2003, Libya 2011 and has been trying to do it since 2011 in Syria), but that they are also astoundingly misinformed as to which side in this war is guilty, and which side is not.
Nothing new though. Ronald Reagan invaded Grenada, G. W. H. Bush invaded Panama, Bill Clinton bombed Serbia, G. W. Bush invaded Iraq, Barack Obama inserted ISIS into Syria and put US forces there, and now Donald Trump has doubled down. Hardly anything heard in protest from the people of the United States.

Washington's Blog
Poll Shows Americans Support the Invasion of Syria
Eric Zuese

15 comments:

Konrad said...

The article says the US president now has dictatorial power.

I disagree.

As I see it, the US President merely follows orders. Dictatorial power is held by the Deep State -- i.e. by the entrenched and unelected bureaucrats in the MIC complex, plus the intelligence / surveillance community, plus the corporate media outlets, plus various oligarchs with top connections.

The Deep State is a sociopathic mob whose members include everyone who is part of the Permanent War Party, e.g. pundits, professors, and politicians. The mob is where dictatorial power lies. Jimmy Dore calls it “the permanent state.” He says it doesn’t matter who is US President. I agree with Jimmy.

Therefore when slime balls like Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn) introduce bills to give EVEN MORE power to the US President to launch wars, the purpose of the bill is to give more power to the “permanent state,” not to the president, who is a mere puppet; a figurehead; a sales rep.

The article also says that “the United Nations system of collective security is at death’s door, and is perhaps never coming back.”

Nonsense. Both the UN General Assembly and Security Council have been a farce from the beginning. The UN’s purpose is to provide a veneer of “international law” that camouflages the Western Empire’s imperialism. What good is “collective security” when NATO bombs nations at will, and Israel ignores and defies every UN resolution?

The UN is nothing more than a forum for Nikki Haley to froth at the mouth as she spews nonstop lies, threats, and insults.

Konrad said...

This is off topic, but I find it amusing to read the comments of warmongers who are now experiencing a kind of “climax blues.”

The bloodthirsty warmongers were panting for NATO to reduce Syria to rubble like NATO did Libya. The 14 April 2018 missile strike was supposed to be their wargasm.

However the wargasm fizzled. Assad is still president, few if any Syrians were killed, no Russians were touched, the US-backed terrorists (i.e. “ISIS”) are still being crushed, and nothing of any great value was destroyed. And Trump has lost the support of much of his base.

So now the warmongers are whining. They wanted to see mass carnage and destruction. They wanted to see mounds of dead children (which they would blame on Assad, Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah.) They wanted to see vast human suffering. But they got nothing. And now they’re crying about it. They didn’t even get videos that would let them masturbate while they were “blinded by the beauty of our weapons.”

Poor little sociopaths. Waaaaah!

Noah Way said...

@Konrad - Agreed. Trump isn't driving the bus. I'd be surprised if he picked out his own socks.

@Franko - The same way we're out of Iraq and Afghanistan ... the only way we'll leave Syria is if the Syrian army pushes us out, which they have every legal right to do.

Matt Franko said...

He’ll get us out of those shitholes too... he is not going to take over somebody else’s losing position...

All of this “nation building!” is a libertarian wet dream.... “just wait till they experience freedom and democracy! blah blah blah....”

It manifestly doesn’t work....

Matt Franko said...

Trump doesn’t take the position that we should try to change those people.... he takes the position that we should just knock the place down kill those mfers and leave.... he is not the Bush and Obama people...

Tom Hickey said...

They were never really interested in "spreading freedom and democracy." That BS is to dupe the rubes.

The real objective of colonialism has always been and still is resources. In the ME, that is chiefly oil and gas.

But the ME is also a geopolitically strategic region. That brings in the factor of control of territory.

Matt Franko said...

Israel has also been an issue with the neo-cons and the John Hagee wing of the GOP and Jewish Dems...

We dont need their resources anymore Tom but Europe might...

Matt Franko said...

Tom,

what kind of turf do they have on the fairways in Syria?

Do they use Bent or Bermuda ? What about the greens?

Konrad said...

Matt Franko (above) wrote, "Trump will have us outa that shithole soon Konrad.... don’t worry...."

For that to be true, Trump would have to be the one who actually calls the shots regarding foreign policy. I don't think he does. Trump makes all kinds of noises, but (in my opinion) Trump follows orders from the Deep State, which wants war to continue forever, since war keeps the Deep State in power.

Ultimately I blame American culture for this. America was founded on war, and average Americans (most of them) have always loved war. Most Americans love to see military displays at sports events. They love movies about war, in which the targets of the US military are always the "bad guys." They love movies that glorify the CIA, FBI, etc.

For most Americans, the solution to every problem is "Nuke 'em!"

Kaivey said...

When I was a child I loved American films. Singing in the Rain, the Jack Lemon, Walter Matthau, films. But as I got older American films started getting very violent and even comedies had people get shot up in them. Then I saw a cowboy film with people getting tortured in, but up to then they had always been childrens films. Then a saw a cartoon which had knifings and people getting shot. I found out ordinary Americans were allowed to buy guns and that horrified me. Then there was the wars and the American military blowing countries apart and using napalm and so I soon went off America. I wanted nothing to do with it.

Matt Franko said...

“Most Americans love to see military displays at sports events.“

Probably 25% are actual Warrior class.... the rest just not as biased anti-war as you guys exhibit....

“For most Americans, the solution to every problem is "Nuke 'em!"

Maybe a slight hyperbole but what we have gotten from our rampant libertarian leadership instead is “Nation build ‘em!” ... always trying to establish another libertarian utopia in some shithole... we’re seeming to be becoming tired of it...

Matt Franko said...

Only one golf course in Syria:

https://www.top100golfcourses.com/golf-courses/middle-east/syria

"Modern day Syria is going through a period of extreme political turmoil and many of its 22 million people have far more important things to worry about than golf. "

"The only golf facility in Syria is located 10 miles to the south east of Damascus, just off the road to the international airport, and it’s an 18-hole course that lies within the grounds of the Ebla Cham Palace hotel. "

Noticeably built prior to Sept 11, 2001:

"During construction in 2001, four lakes were built, thousands of trees were planted and more than half a million cubic yards of soil was trucked in to add some movement to a largely flat 150-acre site."

Matt Franko said...

Or it is all part of a vast "anti-golf conspiracy!" operating in Syria....

Noah Way said...

That BS is to dupe the rubes.

Worked on Franko.

Tom Hickey said...

Operates on confirmation bias.