Paul Craig Roberts: The Neoconservatives Are Brewing A Wider War In Syria

Paul Craig Roberts ^ | February 14, 2016 | Paul Craig Roberts

[VitacoreVision]

While you are enjoying your Sunday, the insane neoconservatives who control Western foreign policy and their Turkish and Saudi Arabian vassals might be preparing the end of the world.

Any person who relies on Western media has no accurate idea of what is happening in Syria.
I will provide a brief summary and then send you to two detailed accounts.

The neoconservative Obama regime set-up the Syrian government headed by Assad for overthrow. A long propaganda campaign conducted in Washington's behalf by the Western media portrayed the democratically-elected Assad as a "brutal dictator who uses chemical weapons against his own people." Washington organized and supported a front group posing as democrats and involved them in conflict with the Syrian military.

With conflict underway, Washington began predicting that something had to be done to overthrow Assad before he used "chemical weapons against his own people." Obama turned these predictions into a "red line." When Assad used chemical weapons against Washington's puppets, the US would invade Syria.

With the "red line" drawn, a false flag chemical weapons attack was staged, or an accident occurred, that Washington used to say that Assad, despite the US warning, had crossed the "red line."

Preparations for an invasion began, but hit two roadblocks. David Cameron, Washington's puppet prime minister of Great Britain was unable to deliver British support for the invasion as the Parliament voted it down. This left Washington uncovered and vulnerable to the charge of naked aggression, a war crime.

Russian diplomacy threw up the other road block by securing the removal of all chemical weapons from Syria.

Their invasion plan frustrated, the neoconservatives sent the jihadists they had used to overthrow Gaddafi in Libya to overthrow Assad. Initially known as ISIS, then ISIL, then the Islamist State, and now Daesh, a term that can be interpreted as an insult. Perhaps the intention of the name changes is to keep the Western public thoroughly confused about who is who and what is what.

Washington now pretends that it is fighting the Islamist State, but Washington is doing its best to frustrate the success of the Russian/Syrian alliance that is defeating the Islamist State.

Washington's support of the Islamist State is the cause of the war in Syria. General Michael Flynn, the recently retired head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has stated publicly that it was a "willful decision" of the Obama regime to support ISIS. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/08/10/former_dia_chief_michael_flynn_says_rise_of_isis_was_willful_decision_of_us_government.html

See also: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/iraq-war-isis-michael-flynn_us_565c83a9e4b079b2818af89c

The neoconservative insistence that "Assad must go" comprises a threat to the security of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is the Lebanese force that has twice defeated Israel's attempt to annex southern Lebanon for its water resources. Hezbollah is dependent on Syrian and Iranian support for its arms and financing. Israel wants rid of Hezbollah.

The Islamic State that Washington is trying to create in Syria would provide Washington with a means of destabilizing Iran and Russia by exporting jihadism into those countries. The Russian Federation has Muslim populations as do former provinces of the Soviet Union that now cooperate with Russia. By bogging down Russia in internal conflicts, Washington can move Russia out of the way of Washington’s exercise of hegemony. Similarly, non-Persian populations in Iran could be radicalized by jihadism and used to destabilize Iran.

In order to protect themselves, Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah have come to the support of Syria. The Russians are there legally at the invitation of the Syrian government. The US is there illegally.

Russian air power in support of the Syrian Army has turned the tide against the Islamist State. The invaders are being driven out. The neoconservatives cannot accept this defeat.

Washington is preparing a Syrian invasion by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the purpose of which is to split Syria in half with Washington controlling the eastern part with the oil fields.

Possibly this is a bluff to get Russia to accept a Syrian settlement less favorable to Russian, Iranian, and Syrian interests. However, the Russian government cannot risk that it is only a bluff. If a US/Turkish/Saudi force were to arrive first in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, Syria would be dismembered.

The Russians can get there first by dropping in paratroopers. In other words, what the insane neoconservatives are doing is giving the Russian government a big incentive to introduce Russian ground troops into the conflict. Once those troops are there, you can safely bet that the insane neoconservatives will cause conflict between them and US/Turkish forces. A wider war will have begun from which neither side can back down.

Here is a description of the race to Raqqa: http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/02/the-race-to-raqqa-is-on-to-keep-its-unity-syria-must-win-.html

Here is The Saker's take on the seriousness of the situation: http://thesaker.is/week-eighteen-of-the-russian-intervention-in-syria-a-dramatic-escalation-appears-imminent/

[wbarmy]

“neoconservative Obama regime”

Really, calling Obama neoconservative should be a priori grounds for institutionalization.

[Flintlock]

Our Muslim POTUS is trying to Muslimize the rest of the world.
He is Starting with the Middle East—with his brand of Muzzie as supreme over the other brands of Muslim.
HE then, gets to rule as the Caliph of the Muslim UN.

Quite simple, actually—though Very, Very messy.

[MrEdd]

Plus the Russians finally said no.

[dp0622]

guy insults Israel in the article claiming they are trying to take land with water from lebanon.

that was enough for me.

obama DID start the trouble in syria, and may back turkey with arms and the sauds also, but he is not putting american troops in syria.

[PIF]

FUD. Turkey is making lots of noise, lobbing a few mostly harmless arty rounds over the border, but that’s all. The rest is just more noise and fodder for fear mongers creating click bait.

Turkey and Russia have fought 17 wars all begun and won by Russia. If the Turks start something, they will lose in the end. So is Estrogen that dumb?

[silverleaf]

John “Maverick” McCain, who thinks he is Senator Top Gun, is a very dangerous man who is de facto with a group of Senators and former military advisors, is leading the US into a dangerous strategic confrontation over Syria, and he seems to revel in it!

No one is really watching what he is up to as everyone focuses on the presidential race

Who knows what John Kerry is up to, he is such an idiot no one really pays attention to the State Department anymore

The Pentagon is so politicized their briefings and statements about Syria are outrageous

If this is what they are feeding the Congress, we are in deep kimchee. The new warrior leadership is focused on picking new curtains for the transgender barracks and supplying salad bars to the combat troops in Afghanistan

[Alberta's Child]

I'm no fan of Obama, but any attempt to "Muslimize the rest of the world" is not much different than what transpired under his predecessor's administration.

For a U.S. president to stand up there and call for the invasion of Iraq as part of a stupid "war on terror" -- while the world's biggest facilitators of radical Islam remained comfortably in power in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan -- was really a farce.

[Liz]

(Gag) another neocon disaster in the making. Keep in mind these people do NOTHING that is in the best interests of the US....they have their own frickin agenda.

Let's go back to the nauseating beginning: the political buzz was GWB met w/ neocons BEFORE the election; the deal to invade Iraq also included a catbird seat for the pukeneos in the WH Office of Special Ops (created just for the pukes).

Colin Powell asserts in his new book...."there would have been no Iraq war" had then-Pres GWB and his councilors (neocons) understood that Hussein did not possess any functioning unconventional weapons. Powell lauded the fact that under Bush we got rid of the horrific Hussein government and toppled the Taliban regime in Afghanistan....."

Which just goes to show neocons FORGOT to advise GWB about the fervid Mideast mindset. Its thousand-year-old sectarian internecine warfare was kept in check by strongmen like Saddam and Khadafi. Now these savages are marauding all over Europe.....and are coming here to kill us for what we did in Iraq.

POINTS TO PONDER

<><> Powell never mentions the conniving Mideast types calculated the advantage of having a superpower in their midst....and they cashed in bigtime.

<><> The US gamely decided to train the indigenous population....it cost us billions and we managed to train 4-5, or so, over five years.

<><> In the US we take them off the farm, send them to boot camp, and in 3 weeks we got battle-ready soldiers.

<><> The Bank of Kabul where the CIA and DOD deposited billions to finance the war was a withdrawal-only goldmine for insiders.

<><> For public consumption, GWB was prompted to say we went into Iraq to introduce them to the advantages of democracy and to get all warm and cuddly as they embraced it.

(waiting for hysterical laughter to die down)

Remember this Colin? The war profiteering was outrageous. Neocon godfather Richard Perle relaxing in Paris (above the fray---nowhere near his cohorts plotting in the WH Office of Special Ops) got so rich w/ insider info, he was reported to be starting his own oil company.

<><> One last thing, Colin.....neocons duped GWB into believing the Iraq strike would cost $50-60 billion. Then an angry Bush fired advisor Larry Lindsey because Lindsay dared to say the war might cost more like $100 billion.

That was in 2007 dollars.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY Iraq and Afghanistan today have cost the US some $3 TRILLION....and rivers of young blood. We/re still pouring US tax dollars into those decrepit Mideast countries, and..... as Donald says....the US got NOTHING in return.

BTW, look who controls most of the Iraqui oil fields today.

Could THIS be what the calculating neocons are after (/snix)?

[Liz]

neoconservative Obama regime.....calling Obama neoconservative should be a priori grounds for institutionalization.

Heh. Good one.

But let/s understand that neocons are political whores....they will get in bed w/ pols of any persuasion in order to achieve their ends (pun intended).

[montag813]

The neoconservative insistence that "Assad must go" comprises a threat to the security of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is the Lebanese force that has twice defeated Israel's attempt to annex southern Lebanon for its water resources.

This man is a psychopath. Truly deranged.

[Lopeover]

Obama isn’t accountable? Not even for the 500 soldiers he sent there?

[faithhopecharity]

So now the islamonazis are “neoconservatives”. ????????????? The author is neoinsane and should be neoinstitutionalized Asap

[bert]

or not

[euram]

It shouldn’t be forgotten that the neo-cons are leftists who moved from the democrat party when it started getting more anti-war. They moved to the republican party, claiming to be “conservatives” but they support everything that most conservatives oppose, such as: gay marriage, open borders, affirmative action, abortion, gun control, political correctness. They’ve never seen a Middle East war they didn’t want to see Americans die in, yet any time neo-cons come under any kind of scrutiny at all, conservatives rally to their defense, usually with shouts of “anti-Semitism”.

[katana]

There are basically two types of effective propaganda. One contains a kernel or more of the truth but is spun in a way that makes it appear wholly truthful. The other is the classic "Big Lie", a story so outrageous that it defies belief but is hammered home so loudly and often that it becomes a "believe it or not" fact to the target audience. I think this story falls into the former category.

Looking at Obama's policies and their outcomes in Egypt, Libya, Iran, and Syria one could blame it all on sheer incompetence. But when a policy scores 100% on the stupid and incompetent scale intentional sabotage becomes the only logical explanation.

[Little Ray]

I think they have it backwards. Should be “insane Neoconservatives and their Saudi Masters.”

[McGruff]

“the Western media portrayed the democratically-elected Assad as a “brutal dictator who uses chemical weapons against his own people.”

This is like Deja Vu all over again.

[JEDI4S]

The track record of the neo-cons puts them RIGHT into the Obama category. We need nothing from the middle-east. Nothing. We have oil. We have sand. We have the recipe for Syrian bread...and we have our own head-chopping terrorist hordes here at home.

WE ARE FREE TO LEAVE THEM ALL ALONE!!!!!!

And watch them kill each other off from a safe distance.

[faithhopecharity]

To not want Obama to get USA deeper into the horrible war he unleashed against Syria — is one thing. To try to claim Obama is some kind of conservative ( or “neo-con” — for Heaven’s sake!) is quite another. It’s like how some leftists try to claim Hitler ( that other socialist) was a conservative “right- winger” — wrong wrong wrong. This article is pretty poorly- written agi-prop — an attempt to cast blame away from those responsible (Obama and his islamonazi backers) and onto “those others” —— some whipping boy or sacrificial group not in charge or control of much of anything obama’s done — and is doing — to Syria or for that matter to America or anyone else. Just who does the author really work for? (Answer: obama or his sponsors...)