So it took 40 years and tens of billion dollars to finally destroy the only secular Arab country which was able to successfully protect all its minorities.
What else is there? Whore wars, sleeping with the enemy, sleeping with terrorists, with Shia, Sunni whoever? This is an exemplary model for Russia, ceasefire, peace negotiations and preparing for the next war episode. Are we “civilised” humans or humanoids nothing more capable of? Is this our “divine” legacy, divide and conquer? Conquering what? Human species destroying their great superior civilisation, we conquered the barbarians by proving we are worse and of the lowest species possible, far far lowering than animals.
Well, informed, rational and critical reflecting people all know that. They can put 2 and 2 together and know that the secular Assad regime, like the Gaddafi regime, fought the US and EU terrorists militants - and not the "Syrian or Libyan people."
So how can normally intelligent people just believe in propaganda of the USA, EU and their media?
I think we have definitively seen the overmatch the USA has on China and Russia play out in Syria, actually.
1- Financial power. Neither China or Russia have the US Dollar. Sanctions can hurt both buyer and seller, yes, but the effects of being sanctioned by far hurt more the country being sanctioned. Look at Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and of course, Syria, and how easily its own generals flipped on the promise of some cash. Either as carrot or stick, the US control of the financial levers of the world gives it unparalleled power.
2- Network of Allies. No Match. NATO, Aukus et alii. CSTO?? If the US is a paper tiger, then CSTO is a sad joke. Just ask Armenia. And now Syria. Global South was watching. Who is ever gonna stand up to the USA and think they can rely on BRICS to support them financially and militarily ever again?
3- Network of Proxies. No Match. No Mexicans or Canadians willing to die for China or Russia so far. Same in Europe, Japan, S. Korea, Australia and so on. China and Russia are surrounded by hostile states and non-state actors, in Iran’s case they operate within its borders and perhaps even Gov’t now.
3- Network of Bases. No Match. The US can conduct significant military operations and deployments across every continent it likes. Do you think if China or Russia could have sent troops to Syria they wouldn’t have before this sh1t show played out?
4- Network of Legacy and New Media. No Match. They are the best at propaganda and own all media and social media aside from Tik Tok, which will soon be banned in the West anyway precisely because they can’t control it as they like.
5- Unmatched Intelligence. Satellites and 5 Eyes. No Match. Look at the pager attack for how deep they can get at you at the Intel level. Nordstream blown up, Iran’s own PM was murdered, both covert ops, and no one can even dare admit it, such is the embarrassment and humiliation it would require. ‘And what are you gonna do about it’ is the clearly implied threat.
6- Color Revolutions and NGO networks. No Match. So what if for every 5 attempts 4 fail? Russia and China have proven incapable of exerting the same influence even in their own backyards compared to the USA. Syria’s fall will now embolden further efforts in Venezuela and Iran to revert past failures.
I wish it were not so, but, Paper Tiger my a$$.
......
My comment
I have so far been very comfortable with leaders like Putin and Xi, who did not react as emotional and dualistic as I and we in the West almost always tend to do.
Also in light of Yves's comment above, I have become even more uncertain about whether the current unity between China, Russia, Iran, etc. is sufficient.
The primary reasons Russia was helping Syria was to protect vital Russian interests:
- To prevent the Qatari/Saudi oil & gas pipeline to Europe from the Persian Gulf.
- To allow for some Russian bases in the Middle East and on the Mediterranean - both now obviously likely to be evicted.
- To provide Russia with a stake in the Middle East and leverage.
- And last but not least to secure Russia against jihadists and terror from the south
All of the above are now irretrievably lost.
Russia has never wholeheartedly supported Iran, Syria, The Axis of Resistance.
Russia has allowed the Zionists/Israel to bomb Syria, including Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, year after year, with complete impunity.
Can someone give me a more detailed answer as to why this embrace of Israel and the US (?)
In addition to losing prestige, Russia (and Iran) now has to live with a (US-led) terrorist nest close to its borders.
The entire region including North Africa will by all accounts be dominated by Zionism/US - the active use of Islamic jihadists globally imported from all over the world, then cultivated and trained in Syria has the potential to scare everyone.
I am afraid of the development in Syria sets a precedent for the use of Western-backed terror against, for example, China, countries in Eurasia, Russia, Irak, Iran..
Unfortunately, we are facing an ultra-dirty hybrid war era; Moscow concert hall, Georgia, Romania, South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Palestinina, Nord Stream, US backyard etc. There is nothing to suggest that the US and the West will be interested in an equilibrium with the remaining 90 percent of the world in a new multi-nodal cooperation.
I have so far assumed that China took primary responsibility for the geo-economic global development in the current anti-colonial global paradigm shift, while Russia (and Iran) in a necessary 'division of labor' had primary responsibility for the military part - if so, Russia has completely failed!
As the first nation in 500 years, Russia has managed to overcome the combined economic and military power of the West (colonialism); Crimea, the SMO, an insistence on geopolitical, geo-economic and 'civilizational' autonomy - and not least its military 'solidarity' with Syria. Globally, Russia has thereby gained a deserved status, prestige and honor.
In addition to securing its own interests, Russia by securing Syria became a great power capable of projecting power and exerting stability in The MiddleEast - thereby Russia acted in a context that was far greater than the country's own national interests
The global paradigm shift away from the West's economic and military unilateral dominance is far more important than the individual nation.
By handing over Syria, the region to the jihadists/Zionists/the West, Russia has not only abandoned its own interests but will mabye (?) also be seen as an unreliable partner in the future. Finally, we idealists can lament that Russia has not lived up to its 'necessary responsibility' in the confrontation with economic and financial colonialism.
I am afraid that Russia has committed a strategic mistake that will now be paid dearly by both Russia itself, the entire region and The Global South
(And the poor Palestinians who have just borne their martyrdom on behalf of the rest of the world - They are now probably lost to the Zionists.)
Maybe I'm too idealistic (?). Hopefully Russia's and Putin's actions are well-considered.
In any case, Russia is concentrating its strength on beating Ukraine and its US-NATO backers into the dirt, Russia will prevail..
Perle, Wolfowitz, Friedman, Frum ... a cynical person might suspect a pattern.
So it took 40 years and tens of billion dollars to finally destroy the only secular Arab country which was able to successfully protect all its minorities.
And thank you for Dr Matthew Alford — what a treasure of a person !!!
What else is there? Whore wars, sleeping with the enemy, sleeping with terrorists, with Shia, Sunni whoever? This is an exemplary model for Russia, ceasefire, peace negotiations and preparing for the next war episode. Are we “civilised” humans or humanoids nothing more capable of? Is this our “divine” legacy, divide and conquer? Conquering what? Human species destroying their great superior civilisation, we conquered the barbarians by proving we are worse and of the lowest species possible, far far lowering than animals.
Surprisingly Bashar Al Assad once was invited to attend the military parade on the french national holiday on the 14th of july in Paris.
https://www.france24.com/en/20080612-syrian-president-invited-bastille-day-france-france-syria
Surprisingly Bashar Al Assad was in 2008 invited to attend the military parade on the french national holiday on the 14th of july in Paris.
https://www.france24.com/en/20080612-syrian-president-invited-bastille-day-france-france-syria
Well, informed, rational and critical reflecting people all know that. They can put 2 and 2 together and know that the secular Assad regime, like the Gaddafi regime, fought the US and EU terrorists militants - and not the "Syrian or Libyan people."
So how can normally intelligent people just believe in propaganda of the USA, EU and their media?
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/12/the-collapse-of-syria-brics-and-wishful-thinking.html
I think we have definitively seen the overmatch the USA has on China and Russia play out in Syria, actually.
1- Financial power. Neither China or Russia have the US Dollar. Sanctions can hurt both buyer and seller, yes, but the effects of being sanctioned by far hurt more the country being sanctioned. Look at Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and of course, Syria, and how easily its own generals flipped on the promise of some cash. Either as carrot or stick, the US control of the financial levers of the world gives it unparalleled power.
2- Network of Allies. No Match. NATO, Aukus et alii. CSTO?? If the US is a paper tiger, then CSTO is a sad joke. Just ask Armenia. And now Syria. Global South was watching. Who is ever gonna stand up to the USA and think they can rely on BRICS to support them financially and militarily ever again?
3- Network of Proxies. No Match. No Mexicans or Canadians willing to die for China or Russia so far. Same in Europe, Japan, S. Korea, Australia and so on. China and Russia are surrounded by hostile states and non-state actors, in Iran’s case they operate within its borders and perhaps even Gov’t now.
3- Network of Bases. No Match. The US can conduct significant military operations and deployments across every continent it likes. Do you think if China or Russia could have sent troops to Syria they wouldn’t have before this sh1t show played out?
4- Network of Legacy and New Media. No Match. They are the best at propaganda and own all media and social media aside from Tik Tok, which will soon be banned in the West anyway precisely because they can’t control it as they like.
5- Unmatched Intelligence. Satellites and 5 Eyes. No Match. Look at the pager attack for how deep they can get at you at the Intel level. Nordstream blown up, Iran’s own PM was murdered, both covert ops, and no one can even dare admit it, such is the embarrassment and humiliation it would require. ‘And what are you gonna do about it’ is the clearly implied threat.
6- Color Revolutions and NGO networks. No Match. So what if for every 5 attempts 4 fail? Russia and China have proven incapable of exerting the same influence even in their own backyards compared to the USA. Syria’s fall will now embolden further efforts in Venezuela and Iran to revert past failures.
I wish it were not so, but, Paper Tiger my a$$.
......
My comment
I have so far been very comfortable with leaders like Putin and Xi, who did not react as emotional and dualistic as I and we in the West almost always tend to do.
Also in light of Yves's comment above, I have become even more uncertain about whether the current unity between China, Russia, Iran, etc. is sufficient.
The primary reasons Russia was helping Syria was to protect vital Russian interests:
- To prevent the Qatari/Saudi oil & gas pipeline to Europe from the Persian Gulf.
- To allow for some Russian bases in the Middle East and on the Mediterranean - both now obviously likely to be evicted.
- To provide Russia with a stake in the Middle East and leverage.
- And last but not least to secure Russia against jihadists and terror from the south
All of the above are now irretrievably lost.
Russia has never wholeheartedly supported Iran, Syria, The Axis of Resistance.
Russia has allowed the Zionists/Israel to bomb Syria, including Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, year after year, with complete impunity.
Can someone give me a more detailed answer as to why this embrace of Israel and the US (?)
In addition to losing prestige, Russia (and Iran) now has to live with a (US-led) terrorist nest close to its borders.
The entire region including North Africa will by all accounts be dominated by Zionism/US - the active use of Islamic jihadists globally imported from all over the world, then cultivated and trained in Syria has the potential to scare everyone.
I am afraid of the development in Syria sets a precedent for the use of Western-backed terror against, for example, China, countries in Eurasia, Russia, Irak, Iran..
Unfortunately, we are facing an ultra-dirty hybrid war era; Moscow concert hall, Georgia, Romania, South Korea, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Palestinina, Nord Stream, US backyard etc. There is nothing to suggest that the US and the West will be interested in an equilibrium with the remaining 90 percent of the world in a new multi-nodal cooperation.
I have so far assumed that China took primary responsibility for the geo-economic global development in the current anti-colonial global paradigm shift, while Russia (and Iran) in a necessary 'division of labor' had primary responsibility for the military part - if so, Russia has completely failed!
As the first nation in 500 years, Russia has managed to overcome the combined economic and military power of the West (colonialism); Crimea, the SMO, an insistence on geopolitical, geo-economic and 'civilizational' autonomy - and not least its military 'solidarity' with Syria. Globally, Russia has thereby gained a deserved status, prestige and honor.
In addition to securing its own interests, Russia by securing Syria became a great power capable of projecting power and exerting stability in The MiddleEast - thereby Russia acted in a context that was far greater than the country's own national interests
The global paradigm shift away from the West's economic and military unilateral dominance is far more important than the individual nation.
By handing over Syria, the region to the jihadists/Zionists/the West, Russia has not only abandoned its own interests but will mabye (?) also be seen as an unreliable partner in the future. Finally, we idealists can lament that Russia has not lived up to its 'necessary responsibility' in the confrontation with economic and financial colonialism.
I am afraid that Russia has committed a strategic mistake that will now be paid dearly by both Russia itself, the entire region and The Global South
(And the poor Palestinians who have just borne their martyrdom on behalf of the rest of the world - They are now probably lost to the Zionists.)
Maybe I'm too idealistic (?). Hopefully Russia's and Putin's actions are well-considered.
In any case, Russia is concentrating its strength on beating Ukraine and its US-NATO backers into the dirt, Russia will prevail..
Thanks and Be Good