In 2011, the US booted their long-time Libyan ally Muammar Gaddafi out of power for a
very similar to the one that follows. Gaddafi,
,
the US with brutally torturing many innocent people following the attacks of 9/11, a fact that the US and its allies would prefer to be forgotten. All that matters now to the West are Assad's atrocities which, like
, are
by the same unapologetic, complicit
networks and "journalists" who brought us all those claims about
.
These "journalists", like their psychotic government counterparts, embody hypocrisy at its finest. That's because if the West really had an interest in bringing freedom to the oppressed, they would broadly oppose
all dictatorships; yet not all dictators are created equal according to the West. This is why the US supports brutal dictatorships in
,
,
and
while simultaneously opposing dictatorships which refuse to go along with their interests. The best dictators do what they're told like good puppets, but since Assad
, the alleged champions of peace, justice, and freedom in the West are forcing him to step down.
What's particularly disgusting about their efforts to do this is that they are hiding such attempts behind the guise of a supposedly organic rebellion. Yet, according to the United Nations, Syria's "rebels" come from at least
. That's hardly "organic". Moreover, these "rebels" are being
by US intelligence and weaponry, despite overwhelming evidence of their connections to
. But who cares? I mean, we funded those same
during the Libyan coup in 2011 and nothing bad came out of that...
?
In any case, without further ado, here are six reasons why the West wants Assad to GTFO:
1. The unbreakable, unshakable, Iran-Syria alliance
Confrontation with Iran has been the goal of US foreign policy
and Syria is one more strategic stepping stone
. Syria is one of Iran's strongest allies in the region and getting rid of Assad will further isolate Iran.
While
, Assad said: "We have stood beside Iran in a brotherly way from the very beginning of the (Iranian Islamic) revolution."
During the visit, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad awarded Assad Iran's highest medal of honor in recognition of his support for Palestinians and Lebanon and his resistance to "global arrogance" - a term which usually refers to the United States and its allies.
Assad also
an offer by the US to have sanctions dropped against his country if Syria ditched Iran as an ally.
2. Assad's failure to sugarcoat critiques of Israel
Bashar al-Assad
: "How can a state that was founded on illegal occupation and continues to murder the original inhabitants work toward peace? How can a country that has chosen the most extreme government in its history be a partner for peace?"
"We the Arab nations, and especially Syria will not change our view about peace as a strategic goal, including the full return of occupied lands."
Also on the topic of Israel: it was
in 2003 that in order to secure a pipeline for Israel through Iraq and Syria, regime change must first take place in both countries.
3. Assad goes "South of the Border"
In an effort to boost oil flow into Syria, Bashar al-Assad began strengthening ties with Latin American countries, territory which the US has
been protective of.
As
by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in 2010: "In his recent visit to [Venezuela], Al-Assad signed an agreement for a $100 million trade and development fund with Chávez, established an $11 million fund to finance joint projects, and made plans to jointly invest in a $4.7 billion oil refinery in Syria. In Cuba, the Syrian president signed an understanding memorandum on agriculture to foster cooperation. In his visits to Argentina and Brazil in the following weeks, Al-Assad is looking for similar commitments. Next on his Latin American tour will be Brazil, where Al-Assad is expected to strengthen technology and trade agreements, specifically the burgeoning sugar trade. On the last stop of his tour, the Syrian president will sign similar bilateral agreements with Argentina's Cristina Fernandez focusing on tourism, culture, and transportation to increase the existing $158 million in trade between the two countries and prevent double taxation of exports to streamline trade. Trade relations between the two countries, which began 75 years ago with the formation of the Arab-Argentine Chamber of Commerce, are likely to continue growing in the coming years."
4. Ties with China and Russia
In 2008,
as a counterweight to plans for a United States
.
That same year,
: "Syria is adding the latest Russian MiG-29SMT fighter to 36 Pantsir S1E air-defense systems purchased from Russia, RIA Novosti reported, noting Syria also hopes to buy Strelets short-range air defense systems, Iskander tactical missile systems, Yak-130 aircraft and two Amur-1650 submarines - all Russian-made."
In terms of the
: "China has become Syria's number one supplier. While figures from Syria's Bureau of Statistics put the value of Syrian imports from China at $691 million, Syrian officials have said the real figure is more likely to be close to double that at around $1.2 billion. What is not in doubt is that China easily outstrips Syria's other major suppliers Egypt ($553 million), South Korea ($441 million), Italy ($356 million), Turkey ($338 million), Japan ($317 million) and Germany ($308 million). Bilateral trade surged to a record high of $1.4 billion in 2006. [...] China was the second largest non-Arab investor in Syria in 2006, accounting for $100 million out of the $800 million in non-Arab investment funds which flowed into the country. By the end of 2006, Chinese companies had signed project contracts worth $819 million and this amount is virtually guaranteed to be superseded this year with a billion dollar oil refinery deal near completion."
