{"id":7925,"date":"2024-12-09T07:36:10","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T12:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=7925"},"modified":"2024-12-09T07:36:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T12:36:55","slug":"the-conquering-of-syria-was-inevitable-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/?p=7925","title":{"rendered":"<h2><b>THE CONQUERING OF SYRIA WAS INEVITABLE&#8212;Here&#8217;s why<\/b><\/h2>"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"page-thumb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/article\/regime-change-in-syria-another-step-towards-greater-israel\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-page-thumbsize size-page-thumbsize wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Figure2Syria-600x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Regime Change in Syria: Another Step Towards &#8220;Greater Israel&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p><!--more-->Alan Sabrosky<br \/>\nThe Unz Review<\/p>\n<div id=\"contents-holder\" class=\"entry\">\n<section class=\"open\">\n<div class=\"section-holder\">\n<blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<p class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><i>\u201cFor they have sown the wind,<\/i><br \/>\n<i>and they shall reap the whirlwind.\u201d<\/i><br \/>\n<i>-Hosea 8:7<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p id=\"p_1_2\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><b>The collapse of the Assad government<\/b> in Syria is certain to be greeted with considerable satisfaction in Jerusalem and Washington. Both capitals of the Zionist Co-Dominium have long seen the Assads much as they did Iraq\u2019s Saddam Hussein and Libya\u2019s Muammar Gaddafi. All were obstacles to Israel\u2019s designs in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_3\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">All three were also targets of that nefarious policy of \u201cregime change\u201d <a title=\"https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/video\/LiSnjdZ7uwA6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitchute.com\/video\/LiSnjdZ7uwA6\">highlighted by in the US after 9\/11<\/a>, as were four other countries in the region. Now the last of the three has fallen, albeit much later than the mostly Jewish neoconservative \u201cchicken hawks\u201d (so called because all advocated war but very few ever served in uniform) had anticipated back in 2001.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_4\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><b>So What Caused the Collapse?<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_5\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Internal dynamics within Syria that played their part, to be sure, but I will focus here on the external factors. A major reason was the unrelenting pressure and considerable resources poured into the assorted militias and <i>jihadists<\/i> trying to overthrow Syria\u2019s regime. Money talks, and it talked very loudly here. So did the frequent Israeli air and artillery strikes into Syria. Shielded by the US, Russian forces in Syria could do little for their ally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_6\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Then, too, the numerically small but politically significant, open-ended US military presence on the ground in Syria had their own impact, So did the limited but strategically significant direct military attacks by the US and other NATO countries on Syrian government forces and installations. Image matters, and here it mattered greatly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_7\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Syria\u2019s Assad could never match that. Only Russia (to a very limited extent) and Iran (to a even lesser one) really did much of anything. But Russia is caught up with the Ukrainian \u201ctar baby\u201d and Iran is hedging its bets in anticipation of America\u2019s own \u201cregime change.\u201d A scarcity of strong, reasonably reliable allies also counts, and it counted here, but not in a good way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_8\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Second, Syria lost the information and propaganda war, in a very big and very decisive way. The Jewish-dominated media in the US and most of Europe made sure that virtually every claim, no matter how ludicrous, of the <i>jihadists<\/i> and other anti-government elements in Syria was treated as Gospel truth. Few in the legacy media disputed their assertions, although many did in the alternative media and on social media platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_9\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">It wasn\u2019t enough. Israel can rip Gaza apart and kill tens of thousands of civilians, but any criticism of its very real war crimes is almost universally denounced in the media and Western capitals as \u201cvicious antisemitism\u201d that needs to be suppressed and punished. That criticism was nothing of the sort, but it demonstrates the exceptional degree of Jewish influence throughout the West. It also underscores the accuracy of the axiom that \u201ctruth is the first casualty of war,\u201d at least whenever Israel or its interests are involved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_10\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Third, it is worth noting that this event saw insurgent militias and local <i>jihadists<\/i> do to the Syrian government forces what the US-backed <i> mujaheddin <\/i>did to the Afghan government and their Soviet allies, and later the Taliban (the lineal operational descendants of the original <i>mujaheddin<\/i>) did to another Afghan government and its American patron. It seems that local governments have very great difficulty holding out against insurgents who have an external sanctuary, external assistance, or both.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_11\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><i><b>In all three cases cited above, the insurgents had both. <\/b><\/i> In Syria, the government forces had also to contend with direct military attacks by Israel, the US and other NATO countries. What made it harder for them was that they essentially fought these external forces with one hand firmly tied behind their backs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_12\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Other than in defense, Syrian government forces could only engage in occasional artillery duels with the Israelis, but not respond to air attacks in kind. Nor could the Russians assist them, other than defensively. Any attempt to respond directly to US, Israeli or other attacks meant a direct confrontation with the US, Israel covered by its American puppet, or NATO. The Syrians could not do this alone, and Syria simply was not worth enough to Russia to risk that kind of engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_13\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><b>Reflections<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_14\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">It will take some time for the implications of all this to become clearer (perhaps \u201cless murky\u201d would be more accurate). I expect the current Syrian government officials and senior military commanders are wondering if they will still be alive next week. I am not a specialist on Syrian affairs, but the historical track record in these situations would not reassuring to them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_15\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">I expect, however, a major consideration on the part of the winners will be the role intended for them by their foreign patrons .Do we want the new Syrian government to be another Egypt, at least insofar as Israel is concerned? Or is it something else?<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_16\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Whatever it is, insurgent forces \u2013 even heavily infiltrated ones \u2013 have shown themselves to be exceptionally difficult to predict or to control, or even to influence, <i><b>once they are in power.<\/b><\/i>. Recall that the people the US armed to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan morphed into a Taliban which employed some of those weapons and techniques to force yet another humiliating American debacle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_17\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">The Israeli experience with these things is even more problematic. I was told back in the 1980s by a senior Israeli officer that they had successfully infiltrated <i><b>every single Arab government and movement<\/b><\/i>, relying principally on Sephardic Jews. So when Israel set up Hamas in the 1980s as a counter-weight to the PLO, I expect they thought they had made a good bargain. Yet it, too, changed over the years. Infiltrated or not, it has given Israel a more \u201cinteresting\u201d time than it anticipated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_18\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">The case of ISIS and the Syrian <i>jihadists <\/i>is even more interesting. Now, \u201cfalse flags\u201d (attacking someone but making people believe someone else is doing it) is something of an Israeli specialty. The motto of <i>Mossad<\/i>, the best-known Israeli intelligence organization, is aptly \u201cBy Deception, Shall You Wage War.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_19\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><i>Mossad<\/i> it and its sister organizations have lived up to that motto since the founding of Israel. They have been aided worldwide by dual Israeli citizens, or Jews without Israeli citizenship, some Christian Zionists, and outright mercenaries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_20\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Examples abound. Three of particular relevance to the US, for example, are the Lavon Affair in Egypt (1954), the attack on the <i>USS Liberty<\/i> (1967) and the 9\/11 attacks (2001). Worth looking them up (do <i><b>NOT<\/b><\/i> trust either Wikipedia or Google search engine!), but <a title=\"https:\/\/www.veteranstodayarchives.com\/2011\/06\/27\/demystifying-911-israel-tactics-mistake\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranstodayarchives.com\/2011\/06\/27\/demystifying-911-israel-tactics-mistake\/\">here is a start on the last-named one<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_21\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">The case of ISIS is even more intriguing. Supposedly a militant Islamic organization, it seems to have exceptionally great difficulty hitting Israeli or American targets anywhere in the world. This was a problem Osama bin Laden\u2019s <i>Al-Qaeda,<\/i> with fewer assets, obviously did not share.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"i_1\" class=\"image imagecenter container\">\n<div class=\"image-holder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Figure1Syria.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Figure1Syria.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"p_1_22\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Despite the resources to field fleets of white Toyota pick-up trucks with heavy weapons in their beds and other paraphernalia, they found it an \u201calmost\u201d insurmountable challenge to strike what should be their own principal enemies. Curious, is it not? I wonder how many ISIS leaders have shared drinks with their <i>Mossad<\/i> and CIA contacts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_23\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Last are the Syrian <i>jihadists<\/i>, easily the most fascinating facet of the Syrian puzzle. We are told constantly that these people are Islamic fanatics who spend their nights dreaming of how to kill non-believers, and their days trying to do it (or is that backwards?). But apparently there are \u201cgood\u201d <i>jihadists <\/i>and \u201cbad\u201d <i>jihadists<\/i>. The former are those who do the bidding of Western governments (including Israel) and attack Muslim countries. The latter are those that apparently do not.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_24\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><b>Peering Ahead<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_25\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">It is hazardous at best to anticipate what will emerge in the aftermath of the Syrian government\u2019s defeat. At a minimum, I would expect the new rulers to order the Russians out. Of course, the Russians may not go, just as the US ignored the demands of many weaker governments to leave. Imperial powers, even if weakening and in a chaotic world, are often like that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_26\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">We may learn a bit more about ISIS and these \u201cgood\u201d <i>jihadists<\/i> in Syria. Precisely what will they do in power? Will they be like the Taliban in Afghanistan? If not, what would that say about their actual character and hat of their leaders? Thought-provoking times, at best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_27\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">What is clearer is that what happened in Syria will embolden the Israelis to deal with the Palestinians within and Lebanon and <i>Hezbollah<\/i> without, especially once Trump is President and recognizes Israeli sovereignty over East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Trump is even more beholden to Israel than most US presidents, and Israel will capitalize on it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_28\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">Moreover, with Assad\u2019s Syria removed from the game, Iran will move to the regional front burner. No person in the US can now even be a serious candidate for President without being in Israel\u2019s pocket, much less be elected to that office, but <a title=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/article\/deadly-delusions-when-the-plans-work-all-too-well\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/article\/deadly-delusions-when-the-plans-work-all-too-well\/\">the two American political factions<\/a> have different priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_29\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">What this means is that the Neo-conservatives stacking up in Trump\u2019s administration are an odds-on certainty to see this as a golden opportunity to complete their 2001 agenda and neutralize Iran. Knowing them, they and Jewish money will push (perhaps I should say \u201cnudge\u201d) Trump to do one of three things: (1) support Israel in attacking Iran, (2) join Israel in doing that, or (3) attacking Iran without Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"i_2\" class=\"image imagecenter container\">\n<div class=\"image-holder\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Figure2Syria.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Figure2Syria.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"p_1_30\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\">The net effect is a far more dangerous 2025 than recent years have seen, and they have not been exactly a joy. We face civil upheaval at home and more war abroad, if Trump actually puts his agenda into effect. For Israel, Syria\u2019s defeat and Trump\u2019s presidency augur well on its march to a \u201cGreater Israel.\u201d For Palestinians. Lebanese and so many others in the reason, things have gone from bad to an almost unimaginably worse. For Americans, challenging times, indeed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"p_1_31\" class=\"container\"><span class=\"contents\"><em>Alan Ned Sabrosky (PhD, University of Michigan) is a ten-year US Marine Corps veteran. He served in Vietnam with the 1<sup>st<\/sup> Marine Division and is a graduate of the US Army War College. Dr. Sabrosky can be contacted at <a title=\"mailto:docbrosk@comcast.net\" href=\"mailto:docbrosk@comcast.net\">docbrosk@comcast.net<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.unz.com\/article\/regime-change-in-syria-another-step-towards-greater-israel\/\">https:\/\/www.unz.com\/article\/regime-change-in-syria-another-step-towards-greater-israel\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Regime Change in Syria: Another Step Towards &#8220;Greater Israel&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}