In the backdrop
of the
“impending
invasion” of
Iran either by
America or by
nuclear-armed
Israel, for
Iran’s alleged
“nuclear
ambition”; the
US and Arab
League support
for the rebels
against the
pro-Iranian
Assad regime in
Syria has
further
destabilized the
Arab World. The
Russian and
Chinese vetoes
against the
US-sponsored
proposal to
force the Syrian
President to
abdicate have
further
complicated the
situation. These
events are
significant
indications that
the so-called
regime-change
movement in
Syria is not
going to be just
another
replication of
what Tunisia,
Egypt and Libya
have already
gone through in
the recent past.

The American and
Arab-League
sponsored
rebellions in
Homs and some
other parts of
Syria could be
the precursors
to a) long-drawn
wars between
pro-Western and
anti-Western /
Sunni and Shiite
states in the
region; b)
protracted civil
wars on
sectarian and
tribal lines in
Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon,
Afghanistan,
Pakistan,
Bahrain and
other Gulf
states; c) the
Syrian crisis
could be the
prelude to a
full-fledged
invasion of Iran
by America or
Israel, as some
analysts believe
“the road to
Tehran goes
through
Damascus”; and
last but not
least, d) the
long-term effect
of the
“regime-changes”
in Syria and
Iran  have all
the potentials
to signal the
end of the
so-called
unipolarity, to
the detriment of
American power
and influence in
the world.

An understanding
of the Syrian
crisis requires
an understanding
of the “Arab
Spring”. While
the mass
uprisings in
Tunisia, Egypt,
Libya, Yemen and
elsewhere in the
Arab World
reflected
people’s
spontaneous
outbursts of
pent up anger
and frustration
against
tyrannical
regimes, as the
Tunisian
revolution was
different from
the Libyan,
Egyptian and
Yemeni
uprisings, so is
the Syrian
unrest very
different from
the apparently
similar
uprisings
elsewhere in the
Arab World.
Unlike the
Mubarak regime
in Egypt, the
Assad regime in
Syria is neither
at peace with
Israel nor is
friendly towards
America. Syria
also has a
mutual defence
pact with Iran.

Then again,
although the
Shiite Alawi
minority in
Syria (which
roughly
represents
twenty per cent
of the
population) is
in power for
more than four
decades, the
Assad regime has
not excluded the
Sunni upper and
middle classes
from sharing
political,
economic and
military power.
Consequently,
unlike the
impoverished and
marginalized
Shiite majority
in Iraq under
Saddam Hussein
who went against
him in the wake
of US invasion
in 2003, the
Sunni majority
in Syria
(excepting in
certain pockets,
especially in
Homs) has a
stake in the
Assad regime.
Syria is not
another Bahrain,
where the
pro-Saudi and
most
importantly,
pro-American
Sunni minority
ruling class
calls the shot
to the detriment
of the Shiite
majority. Again,
in comparison to
the Arab
kingdoms and
sheikhdoms, the
autocratic Assad
regime in Syria
provides far
better public
education,
health care, and
equal
opportunities,
freedom and
dignity to
women.

Nevertheless,
all is not well
in Syria.
Inspired and
emboldened by
the successful
regime changes
by people in
Tunisia, Libya
and Egypt, tens
of thousands of
Syrians have
been genuinely
protesting
against the
government and
dying at the
hands of
government
troops. This is,
however, equally
true but unknown
to most people
in the world
that America and
its Arab League
puppets, Saudi
Arabia and other
GCC members have
been sending
mercenaries and
arming Syrian
rebels to topple
the Assad
regime. Thanks
to the biased
and overpowering
Western media
reports, which
the pro-Western
regimes and
media throughout
the World
untiringly
replicate and
propagate, the
overwhelming
majority of
people across
the world only
see the other
side of the
coin.

They are not
aware of that:
a) “Syrian
rebels” are
using flares and
armour-piercing
projectiles in
Homs, Idlib and
Hama to kill
troops, foreign
observers,
journalists and
innocent
bystanders; b)


a Saudi TV
station recently
broadcast a
Salafist
religious leader
giving his
blessing for
spilling the
blood of foreign
observers, as
stated by the
Russian
Ambassador at
the Security
Council meeting
on 31^st
January; and
most people also
do not know that
c) al Qaeda
leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
in a video
recording,
“Onwards, Lions
of Syria”, on 13^th
February urged
Syrians and
Muslims in
Turkey, Iraq,
Lebanon and
Jordan to help
those who are
fighting to
topple “the
butcher, son of
the butcher
Bashar bin
Hafiz”.

One wonders, if
the Salafists,
al Qaeda,
America and its
allies have
discovered
common friends
and enemies in
Syria and
beyond. In view
of the State
Department’s
stand on Syria
and its latest
somersault in
the Maldives
affairs – it
supported the
Islamist-sponsored
7^th
February coup
and within 72
hours
backtracked on
recognition of
the new regime
-- one tends to
agree with the
late Senator
William
Fulbright that,
“There is a kind
of voodoo about
American foreign
policy” [The
Arrogance of
Power,
Random House,
New York 1966,
p. 32].

What America and
its allies have
been trying to
do in Syria is
not that
different from
what they did to
Libya in the
recent past. In
the case of
Libya, the
American “Oil
Lobby” achieved
what they had
wanted since
long – to
control the oil
fields in
Benghazi –
through
UN-sponsored
sanctions
against Libya to
justify a
full-fledged
invasion of the
country to
topple the
not-so-compliant
Qaddafi regime.
The “Israel
Lobby”, which
seems to be the
most powerful
lobby in
America, is
trying to
isolate and
neutralize
Syria, first
through
UN-sponsored
sanctions, and
then through
open invasion of
the country to
overthrow Bashar
Assad a la
Qaddafi. Syria,
an adversary of
Israel and a
close ally of
Iran and
Hezbollah with
300,000 regular
troops and
200,000
reservists, is
an impediment to
the Israeli
design in Iran.

Nevertheless, as
our experience
tells us,
America (and
Israel) is not
going to let
Syria go its
way. Not only
the overpowering
“Israel Lobby”
seems determined
to overthrow the
Assad regime,
but what we
often overlook
and undermine,
the vicious
Military-Industrial-Congressional
Lobby in
America, the
main factor
behind all wars
waged by America
since 1945 (to
paraphrase
Eisenhower), is
also unwavering
about waging
another war, may
be in Syria and
/ or Iran. Then
again, the
US-Israel-Saudi
triumvirate
seems to be very
myopic. As the
regime-changes
in the Arab
World have so
far strengthened
the Islamists
(especially in
Egypt), Syria
would not be an
exception in
this regard.
Ominously,
Salafists and al
Qaeda have
already lent
support to
Syrian rebels.

 Last but
not least, it is
time that
America listens
to people like
Carter, Chomsky
and Joseph Nye
to emerge as a
soft power. If
regime-change by
mass upsurge is
that desirable
to America, it
should have
condemned the
Bahraini regime
(and Saudi
Arabia) for
crushing the
popular upsurge
in Bahrain,
which
incidentally, is
an American
naval base for
its Sixth Fleet.
Otherwise,
decent and civil
Americans who
believe that
their country
“is not likely
to embark upon a
campaign to
dominate the
world in the
manner of a
Hitler or
Napoleon” will
be proven wrong.