[Dehai-WN] Globalresearch.ca: US Diplomacy and America's "Enablers of Terror"

From: Berhane Habtemariam <Berhane.Habtemariam_at_gmx.de_at_dehai.org>
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2012 23:16:32 +0200

US Diplomacy and America’s “Enablers of Terror”


By <http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/nile-bowie/> Nile Bowie

Global Research,

September 14, 2012

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“Indeed, I asked myself, how could this happen, how could this happen in a
country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction.” –
Hilary Clinton, US Secretary of State [
<http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/2012912144149580926.html> 1]

The recent armed attack on a lightly defended United States diplomatic
mission in Benghazi, Libya that took the life of Ambassador Christopher
Stevens is an alarming reminder of the disastrous foreign policy direction
being taken by Washington. Tired euphemisms of “liberation” and “freedom
fighters” have grossly distorted public opinion into supporting a narrative
that has very little relationship with reality.

Images of the Ambassador being dragged through the streets of Benghazi are
the product of a stark reality that the general public must recognize – one
that is absent of the romance and fervor of televised “revolutions.” For
Ambassador Stevens, an early proponent of the no-fly zone and a staunch
supporter of NATO’s campaign in Libya, the untimely death he was dealt came
delivered by the very militants he enabled in brazen.

The pathological reasoning of bombing a country to “save it from
destruction” reflects the unrestrained irrationality of the foreign policy
direction being taken under the Obama Administration and its rabid Secretary
of State.While mainstream accounts of the unrest now transpiring in the
Middle East credit an incendiary film with provoking attacks on US
diplomatic compounds, sources have claimed the attack in Libya was
well-coordinated and planned in advance, using protests outside the
consulate as a diversion. [
<http://rt.com/usa/news/attack-libya-us-planned-989/> 2] Regardless of the
specifics, the event has provided Washington with a pretext to deploy two
warships carrying Tomahawk cruise missiles to the Libyan coast [
<http://news.yahoo.com/us-officials-2-warships-moving-toward-libya-231547807
.html> 3] As the militant fighters once supported by NATO persecute ethnic
minorities, loyalists of the Gaddafi regime, and demolish ancient Sufi
shrines and religious sites throughout the country, one wonders what
President Obama alludes to in his assertions that “justice will be done.” [
<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57511250-503544/obama-on-libya-attac
k-justice-will-be-done/> 4] It is within reason that the United States,
contrasting its prolonged presence in Afghanistan to counter the Mujahideen
it once supported, may now attempt to maintain an increased presence in
Libya to assist its client leaders in Tripoli with restoring order.

Events in Libya are being framed to heighten the perception that Washington
is at war with Islamic militants, not partnered with them to achieve their
foreign policy objectives. Michael Weiss, Research Director of The Henry
Jackson Society, argues in a piece published with the Telegraph titled, “
<http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100180651/the-killing-of-chr
is-stevens-is-not-an-excuse-to-attack-americas-pro-democratic-foreign-policy
/> The killing of Chris Stevens is not an excuse to attack America’s
pro-democratic foreign policy,” that Washington should not let the spoiled
fruits of its operation in Libya hinder its quest to remove Bashar al-Assad,
who Weiss stalely refers to as a “mass-murdering tyrant.” [
<http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100180651/the-killing-of-chr
is-stevens-is-not-an-excuse-to-attack-americas-pro-democratic-foreign-policy
/> 5] The support given to militants in Libya and Syria have caused tragic
violence on an enormous scale for the citizens of those nations – the death
of Ambassador Stevens must be a warning that such policy will invariably sow
destruction and irreparable damage not only to those nations, but to the
United States.

In Syria, the dominant narrative of “an authoritarian government murdering
its own people,” as reported by media outlets such as the BBC and Al-Jazeera
has proven to be a disingenuous cover for external powers attempting to
topple the government in Damascus. For the past eighteen-months, those
nations allied to Syria’s militant opposition fighters have shown nothing
but contempt and disregard for the principles of international law. Although
direct intervention has been blocked by Russia and China in the United
Nations, the Washington Post has confirmed that the United States, Saudi
Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf States are supplying weapons, funding, and
logistical support to rebel forces in Syria. [
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/syrian-rebels-get-inf
lux-of-arms-with-gulf-neighbors-money-us-coordination/2012/05/15/gIQAds2TSU_
story.html> 6] Despite official claims that Washington has not yet begun
equipping Syrian rebels, The New York Times confirmed in their June 2012
article, “
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steer
ing-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?pagewanted=all> C.I.A. Said to Aid in
Steering Arms to Syrian Opposition,” that President Obama approved the
deployment of a small number of C.I.A. officers to southern Turkey, who are
providing arms to opponents of the Syrian government. [
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steer
ing-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all> 7]

While leaders such as US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have scolded
Assad’s government for failing to abide by the UN-proposed ceasefire,
Washington itself has helped fuel the increasingly belligerent attacks on
civilians carried out by Syrian rebels. Reuters’ April 2012 article titled “
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/30/us-syria-bombs-idUSBRE83T0XY20120
430> Outgunned Syria rebels make shift to bombs,” includes admissions from
the rebels that they have been behind the spate of bombings ravaging the
country. [
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/30/us-syria-bombs-idUSBRE83T0XY20120
430> 8] Western and Gulf nations have supported the rebel “Free Syrian Army”
and recognized its political wing, the “Syrian National Council” as the
legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, while media outlets owned
by those nations have dishonestly framed their coverage of events to fit
their sponsors’ foreign policy. The BBC has been plagued by controversy for
censoring a news story and video showing Syrian rebels forcing a captured
prisoner to detonate himself in a suicide bombing, a blatant terrorist
tactic and a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. [
<http://www.infowars.com/bbc-censors-video-showing-syrian-rebels-forcing-pri
soner-to-become-suicide-bomber/> 9]

Human Rights Watch has issued reports condemning Syria’s rebel fighters for
conducting a systematic campaign of kidnapping, torture, and atrocities
carried out against security forces, government supporters, and civilian
victims. [ <http://www.hrw.org/node/105885> 10] In late May 2012, 108 people
were brutally murdered with knives and other short-range weapons in the
Syrian village of Houla. Syria’s state-owned news agencies reported that
terrorist groups had committed the atrocities, as it consistently maintained
throughout the duration of the unrest. Before UN monitors even arrived in
Houla, the United States and its allies were already calling for the
“international community” to move against the Syrian government. Rainer
Hermann, a correspondent of the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung published an account of the events in Houla, alleging that extremist
anti-Assad Sunni militants carried out the massacre, targeting
pro-government civilians and religious minorities. [
<http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/neue-erkenntnisse-zu-getoeteten-von-hula
-abermals-massaker-in-syrien-11776496.html> 11]

Investigations conducted by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND)
confirmed that al-Qaeda terrorists carried out “about 90 terrorist attacks”
in Syria between late December 2011 and early July 2012, including the Houla
massacre. [
<http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/26/252950/bnd-qaeda-behind-terror-in-s
yria/#.UDH7_BzkrZE> 12] Clearly, reports of killings were framed to fit a
pre-determined conclusion, in line with the foreign policy objectives of
Western capitals by implicating the Assad regime in orchestrating violence
in order to build popular support for aggressively toppling the Syrian
government. An article published by Foreign Policy in late July 2012 titled,
“
<http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/20/inside_the_secret_effort
_to_plan_for_a_post_assad_syria#.UAo_tNzOaiw.twitter> Inside the quiet
effort to plan for a post-Assad Syria,” lays bare the methodology being used
by the United States to establish a client regime in Damascus. Washington,
through the “United States Institute of Peace” is working directly with
Syrian opposition groups to formulate a new Syrian constitution. [
<http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/20/inside_the_secret_effort
_to_plan_for_a_post_assad_syria#.UAo_tNzOaiw.twitter> 13] The United States
Institute of Peace is a direct functionary of the American government,
staffed by acting members of the US State Department, hardly a “legitimate
representative” of the Syrian people.

 The dubious objectives of the United States are apparent in the New York
Times’ article, “
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/world/middleeast/us-to-focus-on-forcibly-
toppling-syrian-government.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all> US to Focus on Forcibly
Toppling Syrian Government,” which confirms that the Obama administration
has abandoned efforts for a diplomatic settlement to the conflict in Syria,
and has instead increased aid to Syrian rebels in an attempt to trigger a
“controlled demolition of the Assad regime.” [
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/world/middleeast/us-to-focus-on-forcibly-
toppling-syrian-government.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all> 14] Throughout the
conflict, independent analysts reported the presence of foreign mercenaries
and al-Qaeda fighters among Syria’s rebel forces. For months, Western media
outlets obfuscated such reports, until their validity could be denied no
longer. Disturbingly, influential think tanks such as the US-based Council
on Foreign Relations have not condemned the increasing presence of terrorist
fighters in Syria; it has whole-heartedly embraced them. Ed Husain, senior
fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations argues in his August 2012
article, “ <http://www.cfr.org/syria/al-qaedas-specter-syria/p28782>
Al-Qaeda’s Specter in Syria,” in favor of al-Qaeda and their inclusion in
the Free Syrian Army:

 The Syrian rebels would be immeasurably weaker today without al-Qaeda in
their ranks. By and large, Free Syrian Army (FSA) battalions are tired,
divided, chaotic, and ineffective. Feeling abandoned by the West, rebel
forces are increasingly demoralized as they square off with the Assad
regime’s superior weaponry and professional army. Al-Qaeda fighters,
however, may help improve morale. The influx of jihadis brings discipline,
religious fervor, battle experience from Iraq, funding from Sunni
sympathizers in the Gulf, and most importantly, deadly results. In short,
the FSA needs al-Qaeda now. [
<http://www.cfr.org/syria/al-qaedas-specter-syria/p28782> 15]

 Husain’s commentary is a testament to the desperate and bizarre
illogicality of the US position on Syria, characterized by a willingness to
sponsor the very monsters against whom Washington has long cried foul.
Foreign Policy’s Gary Gambill followed suit by publishing an article titled,
“
<http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/23/two_cheers_for_syrian_isla
mists#.UDbbIXgLrR9.twitter> Two Cheers for Syrian Islamists,” confirming
that the violence in Syria is the work of sectarian extremists, not
“pro-democracy activists” as reported by the Western media. Gambill
continues his “two cheers” for terrorism in perhaps the most perverse
statement found to-date in the Western press on the subject:

 Islamists — many of them hardened by years of fighting U.S. forces in Iraq
— are simply more effective fighters than their secular counterparts. Assad
has had extraordinary difficulty countering tactics perfected by his former
jihadist allies, particularly suicide bombings and roadside bombs. So long
as Syrian jihadis are committed to fighting Iran and its Arab proxies, we
should quietly root for them — while keeping our distance from a conflict
that is going to get very ugly before the smoke clears. [
<http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/23/two_cheers_for_syrian_isla
mists#.UDbbIXgLrR9.twitter> 16]

Reuters’ August 2012 report, “
<http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2012/08/17/libyan-freedom-fighters-join-wi
th-syrian-rebels> Libyan freedom fighters join with Syrian rebels,” confirms
that members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) are stationed in
Syria, and leading offensives against the Syrian government. [
<http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2012/08/17/libyan-freedom-fighters-join-wi
th-syrian-rebels> 17] The LIFG is designated as an al-Qaeda affiliate by the
United Nations pursuant to
<http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/NSQE01101E.shtml> resolutions 1267
(1999) and 1989 (2011), noting several prominent LIFG terrorists occupying
the highest echelons of al-Qaeda’s command structure. The US State
Department’s own website features a list of designated foreign terrorist
organizations (FTO) upon which both al-Qaeda (#37) & the LIFG (#28) are
clearly listed. [ <http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm> 18]
The misconduct of the United States with respect to aiding and abetting
terrorist organizations in Syria and Libya constitute high crimes and
treason. Under the current definition of United States’ anti-terrorism
legislation, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Senator John McCain, and UN
Ambassador Susan Rice can be charged under
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00002339---A000-.html> USC
§ 2339A &
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sec_18_00002339---B000-.html>
2339B - Providing material support or resources to designated foreign
terrorist organizations.

Reuters’ August 2012 article, “
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-syria-crisis-chemicalweapons-i
dUSBRE87G02420120817> Securing Syria chemical weapons may take tens of
thousands of troops,” illustrates the frightening possibility of direct
military intervention in Syria, confirming that the United States is
considering sending 50,000 or 60,000 ground forces in Syria to secure
chemical and biological weapons sites following the fall of President Bashar
al-Assad’s government. [
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-syria-crisis-chemicalweapons-i
dUSBRE87G02420120817> 19] Washington has long talked of “tipping the
balance” of the conflict to their favor, and it appears highly plausible
that the threat of chemical weapons and their use may be used to justify
forcibly toppling Damascus. The implications of both foreign military
intervention and regime change in Syria hold unacceptable consequences for
the Syrian people and the entire region. While Damascus has responded to
this campaign of insurgency much like any government would, the lack of
restraint and the individual misconduct of members of the Syrian military
have regrettably contributed to the loss of life.

Any political transition in Syria must be through dialogue and not through
force. Before any transition occurs, the Syrian government has the
responsibility to restore order and safety to the civilian population. As
allied nations convene together to decide the fate of Damascus, it would
appear that the right of Syria’s own people to decide their political
destiny has been overlooked. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has
received harsh criticism from the West for calling Washington’s position on
Syria a “direct endorsement of terrorism.” [
<http://rt.com/news/us-position-syria-terror-lavrov-006/> 20] By
acknowledging the reality that Western nations are supporting mercenary
fighters and extremists, it is the hope that other nations stand with Russia
and China in the United Nations to oppose all forms of foreign military
intervention in Syria. Those who enabled the tragedy of Libya and the
continued violence wrought upon its people as a result of foreign
intervention must be punished – not by sword, but by gavel.

Notes

[1] <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/09/2012912144149580926.html>
US warships steam towards Libya coast, Al-Jazeera, September 13, 2012

[2] <http://rt.com/usa/news/attack-libya-us-planned-989/> US officials
investigating whether Libya attack was timed to 9/11 anniversary, Russia
Today, September 13, 2012

[3]
<http://news.yahoo.com/us-officials-2-warships-moving-toward-libya-231547807
.html> US officials say 2 warships moving toward Libya, Yahoo! News,
September 13, 2012

[4]
<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57511250-503544/obama-on-libya-attac
k-justice-will-be-done/> Obama on Libya attack: “Justice will be done,” CBS
News, September 12, 2012

[5]
<http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/michaelweiss/100180651/the-killing-of-chr
is-stevens-is-not-an-excuse-to-attack-americas-pro-democratic-foreign-policy
/> The killing of Chris Stevens is not an excuse to attack America’s
pro-democratic foreign policy, The Telegraph, September 12, 2012

[6]
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/syrian-rebels-get-inf
lux-of-arms-with-gulf-neighbors-money-us-coordination/2012/05/15/gIQAds2TSU_
story.html> Syrian rebels get influx of arms with gulf neighbors’ money,
U.S. coordination, The Washington Post, May 15, 2012

[7]
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steer
ing-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?pagewanted=all> C.I.A. Said to Aid in
Steering Arms to Syrian Opposition, The New York Times, June 21, 2012

[8]
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/30/us-syria-bombs-idUSBRE83T0XY20120
430> Outgunned Syria rebels make shift to bombs, Reuters, April 30, 2012

[9]
<http://www.infowars.com/bbc-censors-video-showing-syrian-rebels-forcing-pri
soner-to-become-suicide-bomber/> BBC Censors Video Showing Syrian Rebels
Forcing Prisoner to Become Suicide Bomber, Infowars, August 23, 2012

[10] <http://www.hrw.org/node/105885> Syria: Armed Opposition Groups
Committing Abuses, Human Rights Watch, March 20, 2012

[11] Abermals Massaker in Syrien
<http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/neue-erkenntnisse-zu-getoeteten-von-hula
-abermals-massaker-in-syrien-11776496.html> , Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung, June 07, 2012

[12]
<http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/07/26/252950/bnd-qaeda-behind-terror-in-s
yria/#.UDH7_BzkrZE> German intel.: Qaeda behind terror in Syria, PressTV,
July 26, 2012

[13]
<http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/20/inside_the_secret_effort
_to_plan_for_a_post_assad_syria#.UAo_tNzOaiw.twitter> Inside the quiet
effort to plan for a post-Assad Syria, Foreign Policy, July 20, 2012

[14]
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/world/middleeast/us-to-focus-on-forcibly-
toppling-syrian-government.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all> US to Focus on Forcibly
Toppling Syrian Government, The New York Times, July 22, 2012

[15] <http://www.cfr.org/syria/al-qaedas-specter-syria/p28782> Al-Qaeda’s
Specter in Syria, The Council on Foreign Relations, August 06, 2012

[16]
<http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/23/two_cheers_for_syrian_isla
mists#.UDbbIXgLrR9.twitter> Two Cheers for Syrian Islamists, Foreign Policy,
August 23, 2012

[17]
<http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2012/08/17/libyan-freedom-fighters-join-wi
th-syrian-rebels> Libyan freedom fighters join with Syrian rebels, Reuters,
August 18, 2012

[18] <http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm> Foreign Terrorist
Organizations, U.S. Department of State, January 27, 2012

[19]
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/17/us-syria-crisis-chemicalweapons-i
dUSBRE87G02420120817> Securing Syria chemical weapons may take tens of
thousands of troops, Reuters, August 17, 2012

[20] <http://rt.com/news/us-position-syria-terror-lavrov-006/> US position
on Syria directly endorses terrorism – Lavrov, Russia Today, July 26, 2012

 

Nile Bowie is a Kuala Lumpur-based American writer and photographer. He is a
frequent contributor to Global Research, focusing on issues of terrorism,
economics and geopolitics.

 






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Received on Fri Sep 14 2012 - 17:17:17 EDT