Exactly nine years ago (Sept. 29, 2012) Michael Doran and Max Boot, two high-ranking advisers to the US diplomatic establishment published an article in the New York Times setting out the “5 Reasons to Intervene in Syria Now.” Already in the introductory paragraph, they praised the supposed wisdom and coherence of the Obama Doctrine, succinctly synthesized as “getting into a conflict zone and getting out fast without ground wars or extended military occupations. This approach proved its effectiveness in Libya last year.” Yes, in Libya, they omit to say, where the whole operation culminated in the vicious, brutal slaughter of Muammar Gaddafi by a CIA’s led maddened mob.

Syria is a mess, they said, but nevertheless “there are five reasons to bring down President Bashar al-Assad sooner rather than later.” Which are these reasons? “First, American intervention would diminish Iran’s influence in the Arab world. Second, a more muscular American policy could keep the conflict from spreading.  Third, by training and equipping reliable partners (namely: ISIS criminals) within Syria’s internal opposition, America could create a bulwark against extremist groups like Al Qaeda. Fourth, American leadership in Syria could improve relations with key allies like Turkey and Qatar. Finally, American action could end a terrible human-rights disaster within Syria and stop the exodus of refugees, which is creating a burden on neighboring states.”  None of the reasons were good reasons, and they all failed. But our authors don’t care because for them the tragedy of Syria (and Libya, Iraq, Palestine, and so on) is irrelevant; the only thing that counts is the geopolitical interests of the United States. This is the reason why countries like “Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar, and "Israel" would like to see Mr. Assad toppled as soon as possible. France and Britain could also be counted on to help, as they did in Libya.”  

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Almost ten years have passed and the only result has been the destruction of much of Syria, including one of the cradles of Western civilization: the historic city of Aleppo demolished by the American bombings and, in an even greater degree, by the attacks of the jihadists implanted in Syria with the protection, financing and military equipment of the US government, and very especially Hillary Clinton. The destabilization of Syria, planned by the CIA and executed by the Obama Administration is estimated to have resulted in just over half a million deaths. Moreover, several reports assert that near seven million Syrians are refugees and/or asylum-seekers, and another seven million people were displaced within Syria. This means that a grand total of 14 million Syrians were forcibly displaced, more than half of the country's population. Nearly 11.1 million people in Syria need humanitarian assistance. The empire's plans and the five reasons of our authors collided with the fierce resistance of the Syrian people and its president Basher al Assad, effectively supported by the Lebanese resistance on the one hand and the active stabilizing role played by Russia on the other. In short: all the US-sponsored counterrevolutionary forces and mercenaries who sought the overthrow of Assad were defeated and routed, while his government works hard to rebuild the country amidst the ceaseless torrent of economic sanctions and aggressions from the US and its European allies

To sum up: the quantitative record of the Syrian tragedy is shocking, as is Washington's responsibility in producing it. Despite this, Washington’s allies in Europe and the Middle East have been faithful to their shameful subordination to the decisions made by the White House and do not dare to question a policy that has caused millions of victims and ruined a country. Not only that: on August 11 the Press Office of the White House announced that on December 9 and 10 this year Mr. Biden will convene a virtual “Leaders’ Summit for Democracy to “galvanize commitments and initiatives across three principal themes: defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and promoting respect for human rights.” The hidden premise is that the American government is more than capable of delivering enlightening lessons about how democracy can be built around the world. Against the background of the Syrian tragedy unleashed by US imperial ambitions, the least that can be said is that the forthcoming gathering will be a bloody mockery of the conscience of humanity.