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With his patent leather shoes gleaming thanks to John Key’s lovingly- applied spit-polish, Barrack Obama stood upon the world stage and presented the United State’s justification for its neoconservative imperialist war in the Middle East. It was classic US sheer hypocrisy and supercilious mendacity, exactly the same as is rolled out whenever the US has to defend the indefensible.
Obama’s speech framed the Syrian situation within a display of ignorance-based patriotism and a witheringly ironic call for all nations to join together and teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. And then he got to the point . . .
. . . But while military power is necessary, it is not sufficient to resolve the situation in Syria. Lasting stability can only take hold when the people of Syria forge an agreement to live together peacefully. The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict. But we must recognize that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo.
Let’s remember how this started. Assad reacted to peaceful protests by escalating repression and killing that, in turn, created the environment for the current strife. And so Assad and his allies cannot simply pacify the broad majority of a population who have been brutalized by chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombing. Yes, realism dictates that compromise will be required to end the fighting and ultimately stamp out ISIL. But realism also requires a managed transition away from Assad and to a new leader, and an inclusive government that recognizes there must be an end to this chaos so that the Syrian people can begin to rebuild.
Got that? The US has no choice but to be there because of this week’s “Fifth Institutional Filter” is Assad. No, forget about the last 150 years. Especially forget about Iraq . What drone strikes? No, never mind the last 15 years of massively-funded CIA covert political agitation and flooding of Syrian society with the latest and greatest munitions. The US is fighting this war to bring peace. Peace and democracy. All Syrians have to do is a little eeny-weeny bit of compromising. Or get bombed some more. Assad can hang around for a while but, really, it might be best if he scarpered sometime soon. If he wants to live, that is. Meanwhile, once the fighting has stopped, the obligatory US puppet will be installed transitioned as head of state. The Syrian people can then sweep up the mess . . .
We know that ISIL — which emerged out of the chaos of Iraq and Syria — depends on perpetual war to survive. But we also know that they gain adherents because of a poisonous ideology. So part of our job, together, is to work to reject such extremism that infects too many of our young people. Part of that effort must be a continued rejection by Muslims of those who distort Islam to preach intolerance and promote violence, and it must also a rejection by non-Muslims of the ignorance that equates Islam with terror. (Applause.)
This work will take time. There are no easy answers to Syria. And there are no simple answers to the changes that are taking place in much of the Middle East and North Africa. But so many families need help right now; they don’t have time. And that’s why the United States is increasing the number of refugees who we welcome within our borders. That’s why we will continue to be the largest donor of assistance to support those refugees. And today we are launching new efforts to ensure that our people and our businesses, our universities and our NGOs can help as well — because in the faces of suffering families, our nation of immigrants sees ourselves . . .
So, because of ISIL, the US will impose its interpretation of Islam and, once that’s done, will stop calling Muslims terrorists. Huh, what’s Wahhabism? Saudi Arabia are allies. Also, great chunks of the US armed forces will remain in the Middle East for as long as the US wants and, since they’re there, might as well grab a piece of North Africa too. While the US is writing the new constitutions for which ever countries it chooses, its corporations and NGOs will stroll in, seize the resources and impose a neoconservative economy. Oh, and all the children in every “liberated” nation will receive a US-approved education. And this is all being done because, really, the US recognises Syrians as being just like them. We are all one. Yadda yadda yadda.
Righty-ho, same ole same ole so far. Except this time, the US has a problem. A big problem. Russia.
Since the collapse of the Berlin Wall, NATO has emerged from, ostensibly, a force protecting the West from the oldskool “threat to civilisation”, the Russian Hordes. Its now the much expanded self-appointed protector of the globe’s energy supplies. In response, Russian snatched the Crimea. In return, NATO, pretty much, seduced the Ukraine and moved 30,000 troops in. In August this year, Russia began preparations to move 50,000 troops to the border. And then, today, Russia began air strikes in Syria which, allegedly, have taken out US-funded anti-Assad forces.
Right now, its three minutes to midnight according to the Doomsday Clock, and it may be slow.
With all this going on, our own Prime Minister is also striding the world stage, doing his best for all New Zealanders by stalking Obama and grabbing what moments he can with his bestie golf buddy. With all his access to POTUS sifted through his mighty intellect, John Key, in a surprise move, agreed with everything Obama said to the United Nations. He also generously provided the following interpretation of what it all means . . .
If you listen very carefully to what President Obama said today, he said that there was essentially a sort of multi-staged way of carrying out changes in Syria. And it was very much along the lines that both elements of concern in Syria would need to change over time, but not necessarily as a starting point. That’s really where New Zealand is at.
What a leader. Thanks, John.
Just as well New Zealand top diplomat and brand new member of the United Nation’s Security Council, Murray McCully had a better grasp of what’s going on. Russia was chairing yesterday’s Security Council session. In order to ease tensions and let New Zealand’s position as an “honest broker” shine through at this difficult time, Muzza gave Russia a good old fashioned public bollocking and then told the rest of the Security Council it was dysfunctional and directly responsible for the death of children.
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