President Obama, congressman McGovern, and the Middle East

President Obama, Congressman McGovern, and the Middle East

President Obama is sending troops to Syria. This is an escalation of an already sorrowful conflict that has displaced at least one-half of Syria’s population, millions of people. Those without wealth or power always lose in wars. Don’t believe the proclamations that there are less than 50 US troopers being sent. There are many more troopers that are not subject to public disclosure. As with Afghanistan President Obama has lied to us or has broken a promise.

In 2013 protester opposed the bombing of the Syrian forces of President Assad. Hopefully there will be opposition to troops being sent into Syria, Iraq, and the reduced draw down of troop in Afghanistan.

 No Bombing of Syia 2013

To his credit Congressman James McGovern is making an effort to subject the escalation of the US involvement in Syria to some debate and to the War Powers Act.  Other democrats, such as Congressman Joseph Kennedy, are supporting this effort.

Congressman McGovern 2015  ( courtesy Bill Coleman)

The recently acknowledged failure of the Unites States to create a mercenary army in Syria failed miserably. Almost all of the 5000 fighters trained by the United States deserted and joined ISIS. This development is evidence that money cannot buy loyalty to imperialist countries. It is clear now that the United States has no or little credibility in the Middle East.

There is an effort now by the Obama administration to stabilize the Middle East with some factions in Syria allying themselves with the US. This is unlikely, despite the efforts of Secretary of State John Kerry. The population of Syria has already allied itself with President Assad or with ISIS. The factions that could join a US coalition have no popular base.

The current face of the Middle East was created by the Balfour Agreement dividing up the Ottoman Empire after World War I and the partition of Palestine after World War II. The global economy, the Iraqi-Iran Wars, Iraq War I and II, and the many iterations of the Israeli-Palestinian Wars have destabilized the Middle East. These conflicts have created extreme religion based political parties in each country, except Kurdistan which has a strange Marxist government.

 It is an absolute certainty that 50 special American operatives will not change the root and material conditions that fuel the Middle East conflicts and instability. The Russians have removed any possibility that President Assad of Syria will step down or be otherwise removed. Like Iraq and Ukraine, Syria will be partitioned in a de facto manner, if not de juris.

It is time to rethink our National interests. It is in our National interest to have a stable Middle East without conflicts. It is no longer in our interests to support the feudalism of the so called royal families which sell us cheap oil or the Fascism of the ISIS state which the US had a hand in creating.

 It is in our National interest to have a secular Israel-Palestine with special protections for the security of the Jewish people and economic and social justice for Palestinians. It is time we recognized the status of the Kurds and Kurdistan. It is time we recognized the Armenians in Turkey.  

 It is not in our National interests to have millions of people displaced and in refugee camps and hundreds of thousands of people trekking across Europe looking for haven. The United States which has been a major cause of the refugee crisis has a moral, if not legal, responsibility to provide asylum to more refugees than it has now done.

Thank you Mr. McGovern for seeking transparency and open discussion on our involvement in the Middle East and elsewhere.