Everywhere we look, the news is filled with reports of U.S. bombing raids and battles in Syrian and Iraqi towns. Meanwhile, government officials and media commentators are talking fast to us, the American public, about what we should think and how we should support the government’s new war policies. This is Jaan Laaman, your political prisoner voice, and please, allow me to add some anti-imperialist insight into this new war drive.
Actually, just days ago, Vice President Joe Biden was at Harvard and made some surprisingly honest statements. Of course, old Joe Biden has been known to occasionally speak too bluntly and openly, and even truthfully. Biden told the audience that the rapid rise of ISIS was not so surprising since major U.S. allies in the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, had sent hundreds of millions of dollars and tens of thousands of pounds of military equipment to any forces willing to fight against the Syrian government. Most of these funds and weapons went to radical jihadi groups, ISIS included. Less than 24 hours later, Joe Biden was forced to publicly apologize and modify his comments. He had to call a big shot Saudi prince and say he did not mean it, and he did not think the Saudis helped fund and arm ISIS. It appears Wall Street, the big oil corporations, and Obama could not tolerate a top official like Biden admitting even partial real information.
There was nothing incorrect about what Biden originally said. What he did neglect to say was that U.S. government dollars were likewise sent to jihadi forces. Also, that the weapons sent to the so-called Syrian rebels, while passing through Saudi Arabia and Qatar, were mostly all U.S. arms. In the past, the U.S.A. government has created, funded, and armed groups that turned into Frankenstein monsters that came back to attack the United States and its people. Let’s not forget the origins of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, in the early 1980s, when the CIA helped them in many ways, when Al-Qaeda was fighting Soviet forces.
Before the U.S. and some of its junior imperialist allies in Europe instigated, helped arm and fund the civil war in Syria, there was no ISIS in Syria. There were no towns or lands in Syria controlled by jihadi extremists. The elected, legitimate government of Syria, good or bad as it was, controlled all of its territory, and there was no open or even very active underground radical jihadi or Al-Qaeda presence in Syria. The growth of Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Syria was a direct result of the U.S. government’s efforts to overthrow the Syrian government. Even now, as ISIS jihadis are cutting off people’s heads and massacring Syrian Christians, Kurds and others, the U.S. and some Europeans are still intent on overthrowing the government of Syria. The Syrian government is the only force actually protecting Christians, Kurds, Yazidis, Alawite Muslims and others who are in government-controlled parts of Syria.
U.S. imperialism in the 21st century does not seem to be very effective in controlling the outcome in countries it has invaded and occupied. First, U.S. invasions cause huge amounts of death and destruction. Later, when some kind of client government is set up, the reality for the people of that country is much worse than before the U.S. invasion. Likewise, the new problems and enemies the United States creates for itself are also worse than existed before the invasions. Look at Iraq and Libya since the U.S. attacks and overthrow of the previous governments in those lands. Look at Syria today and imagine, if there was no Syrian government, the beheadings, massacres, ethnic cleansing and persecutions of Kurds, Christians, Yazidis, Alawite Muslims and others by ISIS and other jihadi extremists would be happening on a massive scale.
Joe Biden should apologize, but not to some Saudi oil prince; rather, to the Syrian people and government for helping to fund, arm, and instigate a civil war which has led to the rise of ISIS and all its terror. We, the U.S. public, have the right, the need, and the obligation to do all we can to not support or allow our government to begin a new war or continue the old war in Iraq. This air war in Syria and Iraq will surely escalate into a larger war. As American people, we have a need to know more of the real facts. Even more importantly, we have the right and need to stop the government from launching a new war in our name. This is Jaan Laaman, your political prisoner voice.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
