Syria is a country in the Middle East, with a rich and complex history.
Quick history
It’s been home to many civilisations over thousands of years, including the ancient Romans and Ottomans.
In the 20th century, Syria was under French control after World War I, as part of a mandate system established by the League of Nations (which later became the United Nations).
The French ruled Syria until 1946, when the country gained its independence.
After independence, Syria went through a period of political instability, with several coups and changes in government. In 1970, Hafez al-Assad, an officer in the Syrian Air Force, seized power and established a more stable government. His rule was marked by a strong central government and suppression of dissent.
Hafez al-Assad died in 2000, and his son Bashar al-Assad took over. Like his father, Bashar has ruled with a firm fist but generally with the approval of Syrians, thanks to his resistance to Anglo-American unipolarism.
The Western-backed ‘civil’ war
In 2011, inspired by the (Western-backed) Arab Spring uprisings in other parts of the Middle East, (Western-backed) protests against the Assad government began in Syria.
The government responded with force and the situation escalated into a full-blown civil war, by design.
To be clear, the Syrian conflict is misrepresented as a civil war; it’s actually a geopolitical struggle for control and regime change, instigated by external forces. The US, UK, and France are on one side, with Russia, Iran, and China on the other. Syria’s secular nature and its Sunni-majority army are overlooked as foreign powers have repeatedly tried to install a pro-Western government. The Arab Spring was leveraged by NATO and its allies to escalate peaceful protests into an armed conflict, aiming for regime change.
NATO’s initial strategy to use Islamist militias to overthrow the Syrian government failed due to the militias’ lack of air capabilities. Subsequent attempts to justify NATO air intervention through staged poison gas attacks were blocked by Russia and China at the UN. The rise of ISIS was a turning point, as it provided NATO with a pretext to intervene under the guise of fighting terrorism, despite ISIS receiving covert support from NATO partners.
The conflict divided Syria into a government-controlled west and a Kurdish/American-controlled east, leading to internal NATO conflicts, particularly with Turkey, which opposed a Kurdish-controlled border area. The Western media has played a pivotal role in shaping the narrative, portraying the conflict as a civil war and the rebels positively, despite evidence to the contrary, including leaks that exposed Western arms deliveries to Islamist rebels.
Propaganda war
Western media consistently portrays Syria and Iran negatively, aligning with a broader agenda for regime change in these countries. This agenda is part of a larger strategy that supports Anglo-American interests, particularly those of the United States.
The media is active catalyst in shaping public opinion towards these nations.
Journalistic principles don’t exist. It’s all about pushing fake news.
So, basically…
- The Syrian war is not a civil war but a geopolitical conflict for regime change.
- External forces, particularly NATO countries, are key players against Syrian allies Russia, Iran, and China.
- Syria’s secular stance and Sunni-majority army contradict the narrative of a religious or civil conflict.
- The Arab Spring was used to escalate protests into an armed conflict for regime change.
- NATO’s strategy involved using Islamist militias, which failed due to lack of air power.
- Staged poison gas attacks were an unsuccessful pretext for NATO air intervention.
- ISIS was covertly supported by NATO partners, providing a pretext for intervention.
- The conflict resulted in a divided Syria and internal NATO conflicts, especially with Turkey.
- Western media has shaped the narrative to support intervention, despite contradictory evidence.
- Independent journalists have used digital media to challenge mainstream narratives and influence public perception.
Vanessa Bealey is a British journalist living in Damascus.
Here’s my conversation with her.
We are not puppets. We are not proxies. We are an independent country.
Bashar al-Assad
