I can’t say for sure if the following events are related, but their ordering is curious.
First, in what barely made news in the United States, a large CIA and Jordan-trained rebel force was preparing for a move into Syria and toward Damascus, thus changing the balance of Syria’s civil war.
Then, in a development that hardly made news in the United States, this much heralded rebel force got their butts handed to them by the Syrian government. Assad’s forces were likely supported by Iran, Hezbollah and the Russians.
President Barack Obama, with intelligence gathered from YouTube videos and presented to Americans as supporting evidence, blamed the August 21 Ghouta gas attacks on the Syrian government, and discussed bombing Syria as a way of degrading Assad’s military capabilities. We would normally call an action like that “enabling regime change.”
A Russian diplomatic maneuver prevented the US cruise missile attack from happening and probably did America a huge favor, given the potential mess in Syria to clean up should Assad fall.
Then Israel – for the first time since the Syrian civil war started, broke its silence through the country’s Ambassador to the US, who more or less said “The rebels are bad, Assad is bad, but Iran backs Assad so we must root for the rebels.”
Then, almost like synchronized diplomats, President Obama and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, once again focused their collective attention on Iran’s nuclear program.
Still not convinced this Syrian conflict is a proxy war?
Iran is the big prize. Eliminating impediments to running the region and parts beyond is an even bigger prize.
Big question: what will Iran be asked to give up? Obama appears to say “No nuclear weapons” while Netanyahu message is “No nuclear power, period.”
Stay tuned…
song currently stuck in my head: “wonderful (aeroplane remix)” – surahn
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