The war against Assad did not start in 2011 with the Arab Spring but at least as early as 2000 when Qatar proposed to construct a $10 billion, 1,500 kilometer pipeline through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Turkey, connecting Qatar directly to the European energy market and reducing the EU’s energy dependence on Russia. This made it a threat to Russia which sells 70 per cent of its gas exports to Europe. Assad, remaining loyal to his Russian ally, refused to sign the agreement to allow the pipeline to run through Syria and, instead, approved the “Islamic pipeline” running from Iran’s gas field through Syria to the ports of Lebanon, potentially making Iran the main supplier to the European energy market.
Naturally, this did not go down well with the Gulf’s Sunni monarchs allied with the West, Israel, nor the West itself, particularly as it seeks to weaken Russia to the point of the Yeltsin era — back to subservience. Robert F Kennedy Jr in February 2016 wrote, “Secret cables and reports by the US, Saudi and Israeli intelligence agencies indicate that the moment Assad rejected the Qatari pipeline, military and intelligence planners quickly arrived at the consensus that fomenting a Sunni uprising in Syria to overthrow the uncooperative Bashar Assad was a feasible path to achieving the shared objective of completing the Qatar/Turkey gas link. In 2009, according to WikiLeaks, soon after Bashar Assad rejected the Qatar pipeline, the CIA began funding opposition groups in Syria…. In 2011, the US joined France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and England to form the ‘Friends of Syria Coalition,’ which formally demanded the removal of Assad. The CIA provided $6 million to Barada, a British TV channel, to produce pieces entreating Assad’s ouster. Saudi intelligence documents, published by WikiLeaks, show that by 2012, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia were arming, training and funding radical Jihadist Sunni fighters from Syria, Iraq and elsewhere to overthrow the Assad’s Shia allied regime. Qatar, which had the most to gain, invested $3 billion in building the insurgency and invited the Pentagon to train insurgents at US bases in Qatar. US personnel also provided logistical support and intelligence to the rebels on the ground. The Times of London reported on September 14, 2012, that the CIA also armed Jihadists with anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons from Libyan armouries that the agency smuggled by ratlines to Syria via Turkey. According to an April 2014 article by Seymour Hersh, the CIA weapons ratlines were financed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”
Following Washington’s decision to remove Assad, its Middle Eastern allies, including Turkey, has been assisting anyone and everyone (including ISIS and al-Qaeda) opposing the Syrian government. Assad has repeatedly said that Turkey was not fighting extremism but actually fomenting it. In December 2015, German newspaper Deutsche Welle reported that “Military and logistic support from Turkey was the key factor in extremists’ takeover of Idlib, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said.”
Secret cables and reports by the US, Saudi and Israeli intelligence agencies indicate that the moment Assad rejected the Qatari pipeline, military and intelligence planners quickly arrived at the consensus that fomenting a Sunni uprising in Syria to overthrow the uncooperative Bashar Assad was a feasible path to achieving the shared objective of completing the Qatar/Turkey gas link. In 2009, according to WikiLeaks, soon after Bashar Assad rejected the Qatar pipeline, the CIA began funding opposition groups in Syria
The Iranian Press TV in June 2016 reported that “Turkey and Saudi Arabia have widely been blamed for the deadly militancy in Syria through supporting militants with funds, training and weapons. Turkey also stands accused of being involved in an illegal oil trade with Daesh terrorists.” And again in a different report that “Russia says Turkey’s military advisers are commanding Daesh terrorists operating around Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo…. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need for stopping the flow of terrorists and weapons to Syria via Turkey…. Turkey is said to be among the main supporters of the militant groups active in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri elements there and facilitates their safe passage into the violence-wracked state.” And of course, the Russian media has relentlessly said that the only way to end the Syrian conflict is to stop the arming and funding of extremists, particularly by way of Turkey.
While reports of Turkish support for extremists are abound, what needs to be understood is that most Middle Eastern countries allied to the West, do not really have any independent foreign policy of their own. Because they are not really “allies” per se, but more like “vassals” (like most European countries). Thus, while Erdogan and the Turkish authorities cannot escape some of the blame for the unimaginable and heartbreaking atrocities that have affected the lives of nearly all Syrians for years now, it should also be understood that maybe, they had no other choice.
Does that absolve Erdogan and the Turkish authorities for their roles in the horrors committed against the Syrians? Does that cleanse their hands off all of the blood that has been shed? I do not think so. Could they have done things differently? Perhaps, but if Erdogan had refused to aid the Western plot to overthrow Assad, I believe, Erdogan would have been overthrown himself — that we would have seen a coup such as the one we saw recently, allegedly masterminded by the West, even according to Erdogan and the Turkish authorities, as Turkey quietly tried to improve its relation with Russia even after shooting down a Russian jet, showing the magnitude of danger that has arisen from the Syrian crisis. Just imagine what would have happened if Russia decided to retaliate. Would that have drawn NATO directly into the mix, starting an open World War 3? A nuclear war, which would have wiped out life on Earth as we now know it? Thankfully, we do not have to answer those question yet.
Russia says Turkey’s military advisers are commanding Daesh terrorists operating around Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo…. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the need for stopping the flow of terrorists and weapons to Syria via Turkey…. Turkey is said to be among the main supporters of the militant groups active in Syria, with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri elements there and facilitates their safe passage into the violence-wracked state
Another reason why the West does not really have any allies but only vassals is because Western imperialism or Full Spectrum Dominance, as the Neocons like to put it, requires other countries to not have their own foreign policy. How could you have independent countries with leaders serving the interest of their own people for Full Spectrum Dominance to succeed? You cannot. That is another reason for the attack on Syria. Because Syria would not tow the American line. And also to weaken Russia. As Syria is a close Russian ally and Russia is one of the only countries left that can, and is, opposing American hegemony.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, whatever remnant of the multi-polar world was there was destroyed, leaving America (or the Anglo-American establishment to be more precise) as the sole superpower free to pursue complete domination. Any leader or country that opposed American hegemony was removed or destroyed. Saddam Hussain, who initially worked with the US and Colonel Gaddafi are just two examples (both were trying to move away from the US dollar). So one has to understand that leaders who secretly did not want to go along with the West’s game before, perhaps, had no choice but to do so.
Things are, however, changing. For the first time in a long time, Russia has finally stood on its feet. Though as veteran Russian journalist Dmitry Babich keeps repeating, Russia is still no match for the US, particularly with NATO and the Gulf states among others on its side. Fortunately, China too has realised the dangers of America being the sole superpower, free to do whatever it wants, and joined the Russians in opposing Western imperialism. And countries that do not wish to be Washington’s vassals can now at least seek help from Russia and China, something that did not really matter much a few years ago. The resistance to Western imperialism, however, is still very weak. Brazil has already paid the price for being a part of BRICS with President Dilma Rousseff being impeached again with the West having its fingerprints all over her impeachment. Others opposing Western hegemony are facing economic or hybrid warfare. But the fact that these countries at least made an attempt to break free from American dominance shows that they are realising that nothing good can come from serving the interest of the Anglo-American elite. That sooner or later, just like Saddam Hussain and others, the West will turn on them when they are no longer useful to their agenda which can happen anytime.
Getting back to Turkey, Eric Draitser, founder of StopImperialism.com in July 2016 wrote “The failed coup in Turkey last week was a political and geopolitical earthquake as it has the potential to fundamentally alter the Middle East, NATO, and potentially the balance of power globally…. Despite his commendable service to US imperialism in Syria, including hosting both terrorist and Syrian expatriate proxies of the US, Erdogan has clearly upset the apple cart with Washington. Perhaps his most egregious crime came just recently when he issued an apology for the November 2015 downing of a Russian jet. But, of course, it wasn’t the apology itself that set off official Washington, it was the reorientation of Turkish foreign policy away from the US, NATO, and Europe, and towards Russia, China, and the emerging non-western power bloc. This was his grave sin. And it wasn’t the first time, though undoubtedly Washington wanted to make sure it would be his last.”
Following the attempted coup, Martin Berger wrote for New Eastern Outlook that “The change of Turkey’s standing in its relations with the West has been noted by Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with the French Le Monde. Turkey’s President noted that instead of solidarity with Turkey, and instead defending democratic principles, the West chose to abandon Ankara.” Viktor Mikhin wrote:
“Hardly had the failed coup attempt come to an end when numerous facts emerged that allow us to make far-reaching conclusions on the new realities that have formed in the region.
“First, for example, is the news that the international media have actively broadcast that the UAE played a rather active role in the Turkish coup. Just a few days ago, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan made an announced visit to Doha, where he held secret talks with the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Moreover, neither the UAE nor Qatari media covered the event and the Qatari television channel, Al Jazeera, was no exception. Famous Turkish journalist, Ismail Basha, pointed out that the purpose of Al Nahyan’s visit was to persuade Qatar to act as mediator in negotiations between the UAE and Turkey on settling relations. According to some media reports, the UAE authorities financed the military coup in Turkey, which is evidenced by published details of the conspirators’ plan.
“If this assertion is true, there is no doubt that the UAE, which cannot be considered an independent player on the world stage, particularly in the Persian Gulf area, are backed up by other countries, in this case, Saudi Arabia and the United States [emphasis mine].”
This again shows that there is no benefit in making a deal with the devil. And Erdogan seems to have taken the hint. RT reported on August 11 that “In an interview with Turkey’s NTV television on Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusolgu said that Ankara ‘will again, in an active manner, with its planes take part in operations’ against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) targets…. Cavusolgu also said that Ankara has called on Moscow to carry out joint operations against the ‘common enemy’ of IS.” Vladimir Putin understands what a key role Turkey can play in ending the Syrian crisis. On August 9 he said “We have gone through a very difficult moment in the relationship between our two countries, but now we would all like to overcome it in the interests of both our peoples.” And most importantly “Our views on resolving the Syrian situation have often been at odds, but I believe that finding a common approach is possible, at least because we both want the crisis to end. We will use this as the basis for finding common solutions.”
The failed coup in Turkey last week was a political and geopolitical earthquake as it has the potential to fundamentally alter the Middle East, NATO, and potentially the balance of power globally…. Despite his commendable service to US imperialism in Syria, including hosting both terrorist and Syrian expatriate proxies of the US, Erdogan has clearly upset the apple cart with Washington. Perhaps his most egregious crime came just recently when he issued an apology for the November 2015 downing of a Russian jet. But, of course, it wasn’t the apology itself that set off official Washington, it was the reorientation of Turkish foreign policy away from the US, NATO, and Europe, and towards Russia, China, and the emerging non-western power bloc
Sputniknews on August 13 reported “Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif offered to organise a trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and Turkey to discuss the settlement of the Syrian crisis…. From Zarif’s point of view, the initiative is necessary for finding a solution to the crisis which is in the interests of the countries in the region.”
This indicates that Turkey is indeed trying to free itself from Washington’s chains. Whether Turkish authorities have realised their crimes against the Syrians because of their own moral compass or for self preservation is debatable, but if Turkey is truly looking to move towards the Russia-China-Iran alliance, it should expect more coup attempts, and ones that are much more sophisticated and better organised. And for the rest of the world, what needs to be understood is that Turkey is essential to balance the power between Western hegemony and a chance for peace. Particularly if Turkey does close its border to stop the flow of terrorists back and forth from Syria, as it has pledged to do after the attempted coup, which could be the final nail in the coffin for the Western regime change plot in Syria at least for now. And to emphasise again just how important a geopolitical shift this may be, as RT reported on August 12 “Putin has, for some time now, been trying to promote the idea of an alternative bloc to curb American domination of the global political order. With cooperation with China steadily increasing, bringing Turkey into the mix would be the icing on the cake.”
