(en) Alternative Libertaire: Syria : The imperialist bombing issues (fr)

Western powers began to prepare public opinion for a military intervention in Syria. What 
are the real issues? Where is the rebellion in diet? Where is the plan? Lighting of an 
anti-imperialist perspective. ---- After a chemical attack on the outskirts of Damascus, 
whose power of Bashar al-Assad was accused without conclusive evidence at this time, the 
Western powers have pretended to be moved and began to prepare public opinion for military 
intervention. ---- At the time of writing this article, it seems likely that the U.S. 
military to intervene in the coming days, possibly with the support of France.----If 
violence deployed for two years by the regime of Bashar al-Assad to crush the rebels no 
doubt, the Syrian civil war certainly can not be reduced to a struggle between the "bad" 
and "nice." The humanitarian justification for bombing future should not obscure other 
strategic issues for the Western powers.
 
Light of the situation of an anti -imperialist perspective .
 
What geopolitical issues for Westerners ?
 
The main interest of the Western powers is to break the "axis of resistance" including 
Syria, Hezbollah and Iran, the only regional forces that resist Western and Israeli 
control over the Middle East. By eliminating the Syrian regime, it will be easier to break 
Hezbollah, the ultimate goal being to isolate Iran to force it to comply or to attack if 
the country refuses .
In the background there is of course the control of huge energy resources of the region . 
Syrian civil war is already a regional war between Iran and the Gulf monarchies, with the 
support of Russia and China on the one hand, the Western powers and Israel on the other.
 
At the same time, the United States and its allies play their credibility in this story. 
They had planned a rapid collapse of the dictatorship, and Bashar al-Assad is still there, 
two years after the uprising began . It holds up better than expected, with the help of 
Hezbollah, Iran and Russia . His army is on the offensive for several months, the rebels 
may be militarily defeated . The case of killing chemical is timely to intervene directly 
and change the balance of power .
 
Mapping the rebellion and the loyalist army
 
The rebellion is divided into many factions that are divided into two camps.
Favorable to armed struggle parties have been calling for a military intervention, they 
are grouped in the Syrian National Coalition supported by Westerners, the Gulf monarchies 
and Turkey.
 
The civilian opposition refuses the militarization of the revolution and wants a 
negotiated solution. It is this side that are very progressive : against a foreign armed 
intervention ( two positions in this sense : that Haytham Manna and the Samir Aita ) .
Militarily, the rebellion is broken into hundreds of armed groups, the most powerful are 
the jihadi groups .
The Free Syrian Army (FSA ) is a fiction maintained to give the impression of a unit that 
does not exist on the ground. Often, groups that claim ASL live in varying degrees of 
corruption, racketeering, kidnapping, trafficking of all kinds. Sometimes there are 
clashes between militia groups for control of sources of funding. In areas under their 
control, these behaviors cause discontent among populations and increase the influence of 
radical Islamists.
 
Difficult to trace progressive armed groups, which does not mean that there is none.
 
Affiliated to or close to Al- Qaeda groups are very important reinforcements from abroad. 
Iraqi jihadists, Saudis, Libyans, Tunisians, Chechen, etc. ., Ran around to fight the 
"infidels", even in Europe and the United States. Experienced, disciplined, well-armed 
with the agent of monarchies, the jihadists are spearheading the fight against the regime. 
In areas they occupy, they rule a worse than Assad dictatorship. In addition to summary 
executions of regime supporters, they imprison hundreds of Activists other trends of the 
rebellion.
 
The Al Qaeda and ASL are forced to work together, but it is only a tactical alliance . 
They have already fought several times and the struggle for hegemony in the armed 
resistance may be exacerbated .
 
The military dictatorship is weakened by desertions and losses. She increasingly need 
various militias, often based on ethnic or religious affiliation. They are recruited from 
the minority Alawite, Christian, Shiite, etc. .. who fear a takeover by radical Islamists, 
takfiri .
 
The army of Bashar al-Assad also receives international assistance with Hezbollah 
fighters, Iraqi Shiites who have their own militias and Iranian advisers. Palestinians 
linked to the PFLP - GC are also at their side.
 
A weakening or collapse of the central government does not mean the end of the war. The 
groups supporting their autonomy and will continue the fight for their own account.
 
Stir in the West
 
As shown in the vote against the British Parliament, the need for military intervention is 
no consensus in the Western ruling classes. The ground realities are that if it comes out 
a winner of the Syrian battle field, it will be an enemy of the United States and its allies .
Liquidate or weaken Assad is the risk of a seizure of power by Al- Qaeda, the doors of 
Israel, Jordan and Turkey . A worrying prospect for Western interests. Ultimately, a long 
civil war is the best solution for them, their enemies continued to kill long .
 
If, finally, the United States and the proxy they have found bomb Syria, it will not be 
for a speedy end to the civil war, on the contrary . Far from providing assistance to the 
civilian population, an attack would only cause more destruction, misery, death, refugee - 
es .
 
If the attack is triggered before a serious investigation will shed light on this famous 
etching would show once again how little they are to the truth, justice and other values ? 
?they claim to defend .
 
 
Herv? (AL Marseille) with Edith Soboul (Federal Secretariat AL )
 
September 1, 2013
 
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