the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Sep 2, 2013
The Obama administration, along with the entire political apparatus and the press, were saber-rattling over Syria. Threats of bombing by drones, what President Obama calls a “narrow, limited” intervention, have been parried and countered with proposals for larger actions, up to and including troops on the ground.
This entire political barrage followed in the wake of the horrific killings of more than 1,400 Syrian citizens, including more than 400 children, by chemical warfare. According to the press, U.S. sources insist that the attack was carried out by the Assad regime, which is engaged in a civil war with an opposition that has cost the lives of more than 100,000 people.
Maybe, maybe not, but remember “weapons of mass destruction,” which never appeared in Iraq? How about surgical strikes to end terrorism that supposedly originated in Afghanistan, oops, Saudi Arabia. Before that, Panama, Libya, Grenada, Iran. We should not fall for some rhetoric we have heard dozens of times in our lifetimes, rhetoric used to justify U.S. imperialism’s wars.
It is a deadly mistake to be comforted by illusions deliberately planted by the U.S. government and military that paint the use of drones or missiles as being more humane or allowing “surgical” strikes that hit only their intended targets of “terrorists” as defined by the military. Bombing raids and drone strikes are killing civilians; men, women and children in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen.
Obama stepped back from authorizing bombing raids to wait for Congress to join him in decision-making. Why? In a situation that could further destabilize the Syrian government of Assad; in a situation where Egypt and Lebanon are destabilized; with open war in Iraq and a secret war in Yemen, the U.S. and the European imperialisms’ first concern is to protect their oil interests. They may be having second thoughts about throwing out Syria’s dictator.
But whether by open intervention on the ground or attacks by drones or a continuation of policies that prop up dictators in the region, U.S. policies in the region put the people of the Middle East, including Syria, at risk.
STOP U.S. wars, drones and conventional bombing in the Middle East!
All U.S. forces–including the CIA and Special Forces–get OUT!