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Proxy War in Syria Threatens Catastrophe for Middle East

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In an effort to undermine Iran by overthrowing its strategic ally, Syria, western nations are using their Middle East client states to conduct a multi-pronged attack against Syria through the media, the Arab League, the United Nations and now through military proxy forces. This fact is widely recognized by many mainstream western media sources. For example, the well-connected pro-western magazine, the Economist, casually states:   

"Iran and Russia aide the [Syrian government] regime; Saudi Arabia and Turkey favor the rebels... Left alone, the rival camps will fuel a worsening conflict that could destabilize the entire region." (January 28, 2012).  

Of course Saudi Arabia and Turkey are key U.S. allies. Saudi Arabia doesn't sneeze until first consulting its U.S. ambassador.   

A grouping of U.S. client states known as the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain -- recently dealt a death blow to the Arab League's monitoring mission in Syria and are now demanding that the UN Security Council take all "necessary measures" -- presumably including an invasion -- to ensure regime change in Syria, the same diplomatic maneuver that the U.S. and its European partners in NATO used to justify its mass bombing campaign of Libya.   

The Gulf Cooperation Council -- a grouping of nations with totalitarian monarchies -- appears to be pursuing a serious campaign to overthrow the Syrian government.  According to The Times of London:  

"Saudi Arabia and Qatar have agreed to fund the Syrian opposition, which is struggling to afford weapons in its fight against President Bashar al-Assad, a Syrian dissident has told The Times... [Syrian] opposition figures held a secret meeting with Saudi and Qatar officials after an Arab League meeting in Cairo last weekend. All the Gulf countries [Cooperation Council] decided then to pull their observers from a monitoring mission that has been widely criticized for being toothless." (January 27, 2012).   

When it comes to the so-called Syrian Free Army -- the various armed groups inside Syria attacking the Syrian government -- U.S. allies are instrumental in arming, funding, and shielding the fighters. It is no coincidence that the Syrian Free Army is strongest on the borders of Turkey, Iraq, Northern Lebanon, and Jordan -- areas with strong U.S. alliances. The Asian Times reports:   

"In spite of Turkish denials of support, FSA [Free Syrian Army] fighters are exploiting the relative safety they enjoy in southern Turkey to mount attacks against Syrian forces. The FSA is also alleged to have established bases in northern Lebanon and northern Jordan, regions that have similarly witnessed an influx in Syrian refugees." (December 20, 2011).

In fact, Turkey hosted the initial meetings of the pro-western, anti-Syria government opposition group, The Syrian National Council, which enjoys tremendous support by the United States but very little inside of Syria.   

Another military proxy force was flown in from the U.S.' new ally, Libya, as reported by the London Telegraph:   

"At the meeting, which was held in Istanbul and included Turkish officials, the Syrians [opposition] requested "assistance" from the Libyan representatives and were offered arms, and potentially volunteers."

"There is something being planned to send weapons and even Libyan fighters to Syria," said a Libyan source, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There is a military intervention on the way. Within a few weeks you will see." (January 29, 2012).   

Indeed we have seen!  

This is confirmed by the Wall Street Journal: "... [It is] estimated that 300 to 400 Libyans have based themselves in southern Turkey and crossed the border to join Syrians in skirmishes against government forces... Once inside Syria, they [Libyan fighters] fought in two separate skirmishes in an area they said they believed was in Idlib." (December 20, 2011).   

It is widely rumored that the Libyan fighters are the same Islamic extremists that NATO admits it used to attack the Libyan government.     

U.S. allies are enlisting the help of Islamic extremists who fight either for cash or for Jihad. Sunni extremists are enlisted in this fight because the Syrian government relies on Shia Muslim support domestically and also externally, since Iran's regime is largely Shia Muslim and is a key Syrian Ally.   

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Shamus Cooke is a social service worker, trade unionist, and writer for Workers Action (www.workerscompass.org)
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