Syria — ISIS: some anti-imperialist observations and analysis

BY JAAN LAAMAN

With the mid-November ISIS claimed terrorist attacks in Paris, and even more since the California shootings, there has been a constant stream of reports, official government statements and politicians remarks, about ISIS and the civil war in Syria.  There have also been reports of French, U.S., Russian and Syrian government air bombing raids on ISIS targets in Syria.  In the U.S. corporate news media, many of these reports and most of the analysis have been driven and limited by ideology and are often incorrect.  This weak and misinformation is created to fit the U.S. government line on what is going on in Syria and with ISIS.  The fact is ISIS, Al Qaeda and other jihadist forces have mostly maintained, and in some areas even strengthened, their presence in parts of Iraq and Syria.

Why is the U.S. government and its major allies, seemingly unable to contain and limit these jihadist groups and their increasing attacks on people outside the Middle East?  From where, and how did these jihadist groups first spring up?  It is important to trace some of this history, in order to more clearly see what might be more effective in stopping these jihadist attacks and terrorism.  And to be clear, by terrorism, I am using the actual definition of the term, that is, the indiscriminate use of violence against civilians in order to pressure the government and ruling powers.

Allow me to go back and lets begin with Al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden pulled Al Qaeda together in the 1980’s in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight the then Soviet Union supported secular and progressive government of President Najibulah in Afghanistan.  At that time, the USA government, completely caught up in cold war anti-Soviet Union ideology, created the most expensive CIA operation in history.  The U.S. government supplied huge amounts of weapons and money to Al Qaeda and other jihadi and warlord groups fighting the progressive Afghan government.  Readers might remember or could easily find, rather famous photos of Ronald Reagan meeting with some of bin Laden’s top lieutenants at the White House.  At that time President Reagan called these jihadists “freedom fighters”, not terrorists, even though they were killing people in Afghanistan in the same manner as people were killed in Paris and San Bernadino recently.

Once the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, Al Qaeda turned its sights on the United States.  A year after the 9/11 attacks, then President George Bush, pushed and dragged the U.S. into invading and occupying Iraq.

The lies and fabrications Bush and his government used to justify the war against Iraq are now well known.  There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.  There also, was no Al Qaeda in Iraq, under the secular and nationalist Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein.  There were no bombs going off in Iraq, nobody was getting their head cut off, there was no warfare between various Iraqi communities and cities.  In fact Iraq had a middle class level of lifestyle.  Women went to school and work, were doctors, professionals and served in government positions.  Iraq had a lot of oil and sold it on the world market.  President Saddam Hussein’s government was sometimes labeled authoritarian and maybe rightly so.  But there were no active or known terrorist groups in Iraq until the United States invaded that country, overthrew its legitimate government and imposed a 10 plus year occupation.

During the years long U.S. military occupation of Iraq, Al Qaeda in Iraq came into existence, expanded and later part of it morphed into ISIS.  During this same period, other Sunni jihadi groups sprang up, along  with some large and well armed Shiite militias.  When the U.S. finally withdrew its army from Iraq, these armed jihadi groups, territorial and religiously based militias and terrorist organizations took increasing control of parts of Iraq.

In 2011, the U.S.,NATO, Qatar and other oil kingdoms launched an air war against Libya and its long standing official government led by Muammar Qaddafi.  Under the pretext of protecting Libyan people, these countries bombed and attacked the secular nationalist state of Libya.  The country of Libya, like Iraq, was also rich in oil and gas.  Libya readily sold its oil and gas, at market prices, to all buyers.  Qaddafi made sure the Libyan people shared in the countries wealth.  Libya had the highest Human Development Index ranking in all of Africa.  Libya was also a firm and long time supporter of national liberation and freedom struggles, from Ireland to Palestine, South Africa and more.  Like Saddam Hussein and Iraq, Qaddafi and Libya were long on the enemies list of U.S. imperialism.

Since the death of Qaddafi and the overthrow of his government, Libya has not had a functioning national government.  There is ongoing war and conflict and jihadist forces, including Al Qaeda and ISIS have established themselves in parts of Libya.  They have carried out terrorist attacks against Egyptians working in Libya, as well as against many Libyans.  Four years after the U.S. led war overthrew the Qaddafi government, Libya is basically a failed state.  There is no central government, competing forces control sections of Libya and ISIS and Al Qaeda are openly active.

After the U.S. led effort that overthrew the government of Libya, the U.S. turned its sights on Syria.  Syria, like pre-invasion Iraq and Libya, is an independent secular nationalist state.  Syria had long had a well functioning government and civil society.  Syria is composed of many religious and ethnic communities.  The largest group is Sunni Muslims.  There are also large minorities of Alewite (Shiite related) Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Kurds and Armenians.  Syria, for years, has also been the home of a large number of displaced Palestinians who have had to flee Israeli wars and occupations.  While Syria has been close to various upheavals, like the U.S. invasion of Iraq, several Israeli wars, civil war in Lebanon, etc. through out this time it has remained a functioning state, with law, commerce and relative stability.

Many decades ago, the previous president, Hafez al- Assad, was faced with a jihadist type Sunni uprising in the city of Hama.  The Syrian army and security agencies forcefully put down this rebellion.  For the past 40 years Syria has been a country where people of all religions and ethnic groups co-existed.  Nobody was getting their heads cut off, no churches or mosques were being bombed.  Damascus and other cities were thriving centers of business.  Women were not restricted in education, business or employment.  As already mentioned, Syria hosted large communities of Palestinian refugees.  Elections are routinely held and Bashir al-Assad, an Alewite Muslim, is the elected president.

The Syrian government has always been very strict about not allowing sectarian or religious violence.  The U.S. has often labeled the Assad government as authoritarian.  There also are some exile  Syrian groups who are critical of the Assad government.  But up until about 4 years ago, Syria was a functioning successful multi-religious and multi-ethnic country.

As an anti-imperialist and a life long revolutionary activist, I totally recognize the right of all oppressed and exploited people to speak out and struggle for justice.  This includes the right, and when necessary the need to demand and fight of change against the government and system.  Ultimately all people have the right to change and overthrow a system that oppresses and exploits them.

There is a big difference between a people’s  right to a freedom struggle against what they see as their oppressive government, and foreign powers and imperialist states interfering in the internal affairs and struggles within a sovereign country.  The U.S., Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc., have no legal or moral right to demand the overthrow and removal of President Assad and the Syrian government.  Nor do they have any moral or legal right to arm, train, pay for and advocate the overthrow of the legally constituted government of Syria.  This is just naked aggression and imperialist domination of a small independent nation by the major imperialist power in the world — USA imperialism.

During the past 5 decades, the secular nationalist government of Syria, like Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, has been viewed as an obstacle and enemy, by the U.S. government, for its policies in the Middle East.  Syria has been a steadfast opponent of Israeli expansionism and a firm supporter of the Palestinian people.  It has refused to sell out the Palestinian people and their struggle for nationhood, or to accept dictates from  the U.S. government.  Syria has long had friendly relations with Russia and previously with the Soviet union.  All this has permanently placed the Syrian government in the crosshairs of the U.S. government.

In 2011 street protests flared up in the Middle East.  Within weeks, two U.S. allied governments, Mubarak in Egypt and the government in Tunisia, were overthrown by huge rallies of people.  Some months later there were demonstrations in Syria too.  They weren’t huge or nationwide, but many people did protest.  Some of these demonstrations were met with police repression.  Very soon after the police crackdown, well armed attacks sprang up in some Sunni areas.  It has been documented that millions in money, arms and even training, was going to these rebel forces in Syria.  Most of this aid, especially from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, went to extremist jihadi forces, especially Al Nusra and ISIS.  Turkey kept an open border for foreign fighters to travel into Syria.  This is how the Syrian civil war developed and even today continues to exist.