Never bet against Washington's imperial plans. New tactics follow failed ones. Efforts to oust Bashar- al-Assad continue. Proxy killers can't do it alone. They're no match against Syria's superior military strength. It's committed to rout them.
Expect NATO intervention anytime or perhaps post-US November elections. Libya 2.0 looks increasingly likely. What better way to finesse it than by staging a false flag attack blamed on Assad.
America's false flag history suggests it. In 1898, Spain was falsely accused of blowing up the USS Maine in Havana, Cuba harbor. The Spanish-American war followed.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt manipulated Japan to attack Pearl Harbor. South Korea was used to instigate war on the North. Lyndon Johnson wanted war on Vietnam and got it.
Fake threats sent US marines to Grenada. Manufactured incidents precipitated America's Panama invasion.
Saddam Hussein was head-faked into invading Kuwait. The [Persian]Gulf War, two decades of sanctions, another war, and occupation followed.
September 11, 2001 was the mother of all false flags. It's the big lie of our time. Eleven years of imperial wars followed. One segues to another without end. Syria is Washington's latest. Iran may be next. Proxy wars always rage. Media silence makes pretexts unnecessary.
On August 20, Barack Obama perhaps signaled US intervention intentions. He told reporters:
"I have indicated repeatedly that President al-Assad has lost legitimacy, that he needs to step down. So far, he hasn't gotten the message, and instead has double downed in violence on his own people."
"I have, at this point, not ordered military engagement in the situation. But the point that you made about chemical and biological weapons is critical."
"That's an issue that doesn't just concern Syria. It concerns our close allies in the region, including Israel. It concerns us. We cannot have a situation where chemical or biological weapons are falling into the hands of the wrong people."
"We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation."
"We have communicated in no uncertain terms with every player in the region that that's a red line for us and that there would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons. That would change my calculations significantly."
These comments signal possible intervention. The New York Times said Obama's warning advances things "a step closer to direct American intervention."
Syrian Foreign Ministry Jihad Makdissi clearly said chemical weapons won't be used internally. Nor will they be used against other nations except in self-defense.
Of course they won't. Why would Assad give Washington and other NATO countries reason to intervene?
No matter. Incidents are easy to manufacture. Scoundrel media hyperbole manipulates readers and viewers to expect it. Propaganda hypes fear.
On August 17, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) headlined "Syria's neighbors braced for chemical threat. Assad warns Turkey on Stingers," saying:
"The US and its allies are discussing a worst-case scenario that could require up to 60,000 ground troops to go into Syria to secure chemical and biological weapons sites following the fall of the Assad government, an unnamed American source said Thursday night, Aug.16."
Securing weapons is deceptive cover perhaps for a planned chemical false flag blamed on Assad. DF, Obama, other officials, and Western media are manipulating public opinion to accept another full-scale war.
Alleged Iraq WMD threats facilitated Shock and Awe and occupation. Others initiated NATO's destruction of Libya. Expect something similar for Syria. Washington's bag of tricks contains all dirty ones.
Chemical warfare threats are hyped. DF said US Special Forces are positioned in Jordan, Turkey and Israel. "Reconnaissance teams from potentially targeted countries have infiltrated Syria."
Medical preparations have been made. "Israeli hospitals are on war alert." Fortified emergency wards were opened. "IDF Home Front Command units embarked on a series of chemical attack drills...."
Soldiers wore anti-contamination clothing. Underground parking areas are ready as bomb shelters. "Assad is resolved more than ever to stand fast" and fight.
DF hyperbole sounded like Western media reports during the Blitz.
On August 21, Voice of Russia headlined "Russia denies sending chemical weapons to Syria," saying:
Colonel Vladimir Mandych, deputy head of Russia's Federal Department for Safe Storage and Destruction of Chemical Weapons, said none were sent to Syria, adding:
"Chemical weapons are weapons of mass destruction. (Their) use leads to colossal consequences for people involved in armed conflicts and the civilian population and inflicts irreparable damage to the environment."
"Of course, the international community should take measures to prevent the use of chemical weapons in different regions in the 21st century."
At the same time, SANA state media reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejects outside intervention and safe zones. He said:
"Statements saying (the Geneva agreement) is as good as dead imply that someone seeks a pretext for military intervention. This is worrying as it can only lead to catastrophe in the region."
He added that Russia continues discussions with "everyone" to prevent what's bad getting worse. He fears it for good reason.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland expects no Security Council resolution. On August 20, her follow-up comments suggested intervention, saying:
Washington's position is well-known. "We don't think there's going to be peace in Syria until Assad steps down and the bloodshed ends."
America's agenda remains unchanged, "that is to get to a political transition strategy, to get to an end to the bloodshed, and to get to a real transition with those countries who are willing to participate, outside the UN if necessary."
On August 19, SANA state media reported Britain's Sunday Times saying UK intelligence "is covertly aiding the armed terrorists to launch terrorist attacks in Syria...."
A Syrian opposition figure was quoted saying:
UK authorities "know about and approve 100%" of intelligence from their Cyprus military bases. It's being sent through Turkey to the foreign-backed Free Syrian Army forces.
"British intelligence is observing things closely from Cyprus. The British are giving the information to the Turks and the Americans and we are getting it from the Turks."
Information includes Syrian army movements in Aleppo. CIA elements are involved. So is German intelligence. The Bild am Sontag weekly reported that a spy ship off Syria's coast uses Federal Intelligence Service (BND) technology. It provides information to insurgents.
Germany's Defense Ministry confirmed its presence. The vessel Oker provides early warnings, communications and reconnaissance. It's able to monitor troop movements up to 600 km inside Syria. Information is sent to Washington, Britain and insurgents.
BND agents are also stationed in Adana, Turkey. They're monitoring Syrian telephone and radio communications.
Oker is part of Germany's UNIFIL mission (UN Interim Force in Lebanon since 1978 until August 31, 2012 unless renewed). It's not authorized to conduct Syrian intelligence. No parliamentary mandate approved it.
Perhaps Angela Merkel is freelancing on her own. She's part of NATO's imperial regime change coalition. Germany is also involved with the "Economic Reconstruction and Development" working group.
Last May, the foreign-backed Syrian National Council's (SNC) Finance and Economic Affairs Bureau (FEAB) adopted a post-Assad privatization plan. Dozens of countries and 10 organizations are involved. Germany and the UAE lead the initiative.
They want Syrian spoils carved up among them. Plunder is their mandate. Subterfuge masks it. They call it a mission to benefit all Syrians. They plan erasing the Syrian Arab Republic and remaking it in their own image.
They envision unfettered capitalism unleashed in its most savage form. They want Syria replicating the new Iraq and Libya. Profits, not people, matter. Iraq more closely resembles hell than "the cradle of civilization."
Violence ravages Libya. No end of conflict and human misery is imminent in either country. Full-scale war rages in Afghanistan. American-style liberation is more charnel house than democratic freedom.
Syrians experienced it for months. No end in sight is near. The worst is yet to come. Bet on it.
Source: Stephen Lendman, Press TVS, 22 August 2012
Comments
Re: Syrian false flag planned?
Thanks for posting this, Sullivan.
Some comments…
(1) The NATO-Israeli-GCC alliance will only bomb Syria if they decide that their blockade and their terrorist campaign have failed. Then we will see a false flag.
The public will believe the false flag, since the campaign against Syria is “humanitarian," just like the destruction of Libya.
The public opposes the bombing and invasion of Iran, but the masses will cheer when Iran is destroyed via the Libya / Syria “humanitarian” treatment.
(2) I’ve seen numerous articles by Mr. Lendman, and I very much agree with him, but here he uses the word “intervene” eight times. Why? When a Predator drone murders civilians, does the drone “intervene”?
The imperialist powers no longer attack anyone. They “intervene” -- and always for “humanitarian reasons.”
Elitists and warmongers introduced that word into the pubic lexicon. When we use it, we serve them. Murder is murder. It is not an “intervention.”
Mr. Lendman also calls the terrorists “insurgents.” Twice. I wish he would choose his words more carefully.
(3) Mr. Lendman calls 9-11 the “big lie” of our time. I say there is a bigger lie. Bigger even than the holo-hoax. The ultimate Big Lie is the claim that national finances are the same as personal finances. From this lie comes myriad other lies, e.g. for monetarily sovereign nations (like the US and UK), the government needs tax revenue, deficits actually mean something, and social programs are insolvent, or bankrupt.
Few people believe the 9-11 lie. Some people do not believe the holo-hoax lie. But almost all people believe the ultimate Big Lie. Hence they submit to banker tyranny.
(4) Mr. Lendman says, “Chemical warfare threats are hyped.” He is correct. During World War One, 60,000 tons of chemical agents caused 85,000 fatalities, but that is less that one percent of the 9.9 million fatalities. Even the horrific artillery barrages did not kill a huge percent. What did kill millions were standard rifles, and especially machine guns.
“First person shooter” computer games give us all kinds of weapons, including bombs, missiles, and so on. In playing them, we see that loud explosions and mass destruction mean little in terms of killing enemies. What works is accuracy, which beats firepower every time. Chemical weapons are not accurate. (Besides, no one has proven that Syria has any chemical weapons in the first place.) Nonetheless, the imperialists call them"WMDs."
SIDE NOTE: I once read an account of a US fighter pilot who had flown in Vietnam. He said napalm was simply a morale weapon, by which he meant that the giant balls of flame made the US troops think the enemy was catching hell. He said the explosions looked impressive, but in reality, napalm was useless. Bombs were also useless, except for destroying bridges and whatnot. According to this pilot, what really killed enemy personnel were small but accurate weapons such as laser-guided zuni rockets. Cluster bombs also worked nicely.
Re: Syrian false flag planned?
On 23 Aug 2012, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France 24 television that NATO should establish a "no-fly zone" over Syria (i.e. NATO should start bombing). This indicates that the terrorists are losing.
Meanwhile, leaders of France, Britain and the United States are holding phone conversations to discuss ways they might accelerate the destruction of Syria. A statement by the White House on 22 Aug 2012 said a phone call between Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron covered the need for increased support for the Syrian terrorists.
Also on 23 Aug, Amnesty International released a propaganda “report” claiming that the Syrian government is killing mostly civilians, including children. (All terrorists that work for the NATO-Israeli-GCC alliance are "civilians.")
A writer for China’s Xinhuanet says the West may use the chemical weapons angle as a pretext to start bombing. “With the hypocritical talks of eliminating WMDs in Iraq and protecting civilians in Libya still ringing in the ears, such ‘red line’ threats have become a signal for the West to sharpen their weapons before attacking.”
In other news, PCCW, a company based in Hong Kong, now carries almost all Internet traffic into and out of Syria, because the NATO-Israeli-GCC alliance has shut down all Internet sources under the alliance control. Turk Telecom used to be the biggest provider of Internet connectivity services to Syria, but it cut off Syria on 12 Aug 2012. So have other providers like Telecom Italia. (Turk Telekom claims that infrastructure problems caused the cut-off.) Syria’s communication lines to Hong Kong are by an undersea cable that goes through the Red Sea to Bombay, then Singapore, then China. The alliance might cut this cable.
Earlier this week n Turkey, an explosion killed nine people in the city of Gaziantep. Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused the Kurdish PKK and Iran of doing it. (The PKK denied carrying out the bombing.)
In a separate incident in Turkey, near the Iraqi border, five Turkish soldiers and 16 Kurds died in a nighttime ambush of a military convoy (23 Aug 2012).