Syria: The Myth of WMD's as a Cover for NATO Intervention

Regime change in Syria, always on the agenda of imperialist and divisive forces in West Asia, is now accelerating.

A new coalition – called the Syrian National Coalition – has been put in place by the US and NATO powers in conjunction with Turkey, Qatar and other Gulf monarchies in place of the older and increasingly discredited Syrian National Council. As in Iraq before the invasion, the myth of WMD's is being recreated. Syrian government might use chemical weapons against its people is being headlined in the world media. The only evidence produced is the statements of President Obama and various officials of precisely those powers that have been supporting a violent overthrow of the Assad government in Syria with arms and money.

The violence in Syria continues with civilians in large numbers being the victim, as they always are in such conflicts. What is increasingly clear is that the forces seeking a violent overthrow of the Syrian government consists of extremist forces who want an Islamic state and are carrying out brutal pogroms against minorities such as Alawis, Christians, and other sects. As in Libya, a joining together of imperialist forces and fundamentalist forces to overthrow secular and nationalist Arab governments is taking place. Extremist in large numbers, most of them from outside – Libya, Chechnya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc. -- are now at the forefront of the violent attacks on the Syrian government and its civilian infrastructure.

The danger for West Asia is that Syria is not just another country; a sectarian unravelling of Syria along various confessional lines will see the Lebanon, and possibly Iraq also drawn into such conflicts. Therefore a peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict is vital for the larger interests of the people of the region.

The earlier peace initiatives of Kofi Annan and the ones now by Lakhdar Bramhi, the UN mediators, are being sabotaged by the NATO powers. It is important that forces for peace in the region and indeed all over the world must raise their voice against such external military interventions. Peace, however elusive it might appear to be, is the only chance for the Syrian people to escape from the spiral of violence that is being imposed on them by external forces. As a petition on Syria signed by eminent persons from all over the world states, “...a political solution of the conflict by means of a negotiated settlement is indispensable. Only in this way can religious sectarianism be curbed, foreign intervention averted and the democratic mass movement prevail.”