Nonsense and Lies on the Middle East

I expect to hear nonsense and lies from the US government and news media such as NPR on just about every political topic and especially on the Middle East. Today, I listened to a ridiculous "expert" advocate intervention in Syria on NPR so I was moved to write again. Let's start at the high level and then move down. The overwhelming threat to peace and security in the Middle East comes from US allies such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Qatar and, of course, from the US government itself (let's not forget what they are up to in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, to name only a few places). Once one understands that, it becomes possible to make sense of the region and its events. Since that flies in the face of what is normally heard, I'll explain it a bit. Saudi Arabia and Qatar are funding Islamic extremists in Syria, Egypt, and other countries. The Israeli government is led by Zionist extremists not only bent on military action against Iran and Lebanon but committed to continued conquest of the West Bank. US meddling in Yemen has caused the tiny Al Qaeda cell there to grow significantly, and the US debacles elsewhere in Iraq, for example, are now well-known. Is it a coincidence that Iran, Syria, and Hezbolleh, who are under constant attack by the US government and media are the principle obstacles to US, Saudi, Qatari, and Israeli goals, goals which would greatly increase the suffering of the people in the Middle East? If you think it is a coincidence, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Are the regimes in Iran and Syria undemocratic and vicious toward dissent from their citizens? Undoubtedly, that is the case, though no more so than Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Israel, for example. It is the broad picture which explains the selective outrage against Iran and Syria but not against Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, or Israel, all massive human rights violators. Defenders of Israel often accuse its critics of selective outrage, but if this campaign is not a prime example of selective outrage, I have never seen one. Iran is a religious dictatorship, though it at least has a semblance of democracy, which is more than can be said for Saudi Arabia. The campaign against the nonexistent Iranian nuclear weapons program is now sputtering to an end, though it appears that the sanctions will persist much longer. One of the effects of US intervention in Iraq has been to bring friends of Iran into power there. For now, at least, the US and Israeli campaign against Iran is in bad shape. Hezbolleh still has tremendous support in Lebanon and is not an easy target either for the US government or for Israel, which was defeated by Hezbolleh last time Israel attacked. Hezbolleh is stronger now than it was then. So, that leaves Syria. Is it, therefore, any surprise that we have a concerted campaign against the Syrian government from our government and media? Some will say that is because of the atrocities going on there. I have no doubt that the Syrian regime is heavyhanded, vicious, and violent toward opposition. However, the armed opposition (armed principally by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and now covertly aided by Western countries) is also heavyhanded, vicious, and violent and may well be the perpetrator of some of the atrocities attributed to the Syrian regime. Bashir Assad is not stupid, but his regime is stupid, and I think it is likely that he has not much control over the army and police as he told Barbara Walters when she interviewed him. The first point, though, is not to accept at face value the claims made that the Syrian government is responsible for the atrocities we hear about. We need to demand proof and more and more reliable proof than was provided of the WMDs in Iraq. The second point is to beware of all foreign intervention, which is not interested in the welfare of the people of Syria but is interested in removing Syria as an obstacle to US, Israeli, Saudi, and Qatari goals. Personally, I wish the Syrian people well. I wish the Arab spring could lead them to democracy and prosperity under a secular regime. But what I don't wish is for them to have to live under a fascist Islamic regime which provides them with no freedom or justice but does open the door to US and Israeli domination. That is where I see the armed Syrian opposition leading. So, all support for freedom and democracy for the Syrian people but no support for the armed Syrian opposition. That is the only principled position in my view.