by Stephen Lendman

Nations don’t wage permanent wars and survive. Imagine one calling itself a democracy trying.

Washington spends more on militarism and imperial wars than the rest of the world combined. At the same time, vital domestic needs go begging.

America lives by the sword. One day it'll perish by it. Perhaps so will humanity.

The more wars it wages and longer they continue, the faster homeland and international support erodes.

What can't go on forever won't. Since 9/11 alone, Paul Craig Roberts says "11 years of failure" hasn't deterred America's rage to fight.

"(T)he same Washington con artists who have produced a decade of bloodshed and destruction to no worthwhile effect are now preparing more wars doomed to failure." "More ambitious than ever, Washington, now arrayed against Iran, is lining up against Russia and China as well."

Out-of-control militarism is happening at a time the "government (is) deep in debt with a broken economy and a broken financial system."

Add "drowning in hubris," hypocrisy, psychopathic hegemony disorder, and contempt for human life, democratic values, and rule of law principles.

No nation caused more harm to more people than any other in history by a wide margin. Unless stopped, perhaps it'll exceed the worst of all others combined.

In the meantime, one nation after another is ravaged. Syrians are battling to survive. US proxy killers murder them. The battle for Aleppo rages. More on what's known below.

Washington upped the stakes. "Swarming" strategy is used. In the 1990s, RAND Corporation developed it. It replicates communication patterns and movements of bees and other insects. US proxy death squads employ it.

It erupted in Damascus and Aleppo. RAND researchers John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt's 1997 "Swarming & The Future of Conflict" revealed the strategy. It's used in conflicts and color revolutions.

Battlefield information, cyberwar, communications, and other IT techniques are weapons of war. In Syria, so are insurgent concentrations. Combined, they're 21st century equivalents of blitzkrieg.

They involve irregular methods of conflict. They include terror, crime, and other militant activities. Swarming combines known techniques.

It strikes from all directions. Its effectiveness depends on deploying units able to interconnect using state-of-the-art communication technology.

It works on battlefields, in color revolutions, and other type coups. It was used in Libya's conflict. It's now in play in Syria.

Swarming in Damascus was routed. Aleppo now is ground zero. Syrian forces are determined to prevail. Odds are they will. Even heavily armed and directed on the ground, insurgents are outgunned and outmatched.

Syrians know the stakes. At issue is survival. Responsible leadership demands no efforts spared. Washington enlisted killer hoards invaded Syria.

Routing them is prioritized. Assad's military has the capability to do it. If NATO forces intervene, all bets are off. Full-scale war changes things.

Robert Fisk is no Bashar Assad fan. He deplores imperialism more. On July 29 he headlined "Syrian wars of lies and hypocrisy," saying:

"Has there ever been a Middle Eastern war of such hypocrisy? A war of such cowardice and such mean morality, of such false rhetoric and such public humiliation?"

"I'm referring to the utter lies and mendacity of our masters and our own public opinion....in response to the slaughter, a vicious pantomime more worthy of Swiftian satire than Tolstoy or Shakespeare."

Fisk adds that while Washington rhetoric preaches democracy, it's allied with the region's most brutal despots. The "big truth," he says, is that US leaders don't give a damn about "human rights or the right to life or the death of Syrian babies."

On July 24, Patrick Seale headlined "The Destruction of Syria," saying:

"Once one of the most solid states in the Middle East and a key pivot of the regional power structure, Syria is now facing wholesale destruction."

"The consequences of the unfolding drama are likely to be disastrous for Syria’s territorial integrity, for the well-being of its population, for regional peace, and for the interests of external powers deeply involved in the crisis."

The entire region may become embroiled in conflict, he adds. What's ongoing now isn't new. Throughout Assad's tenure and earlier, Washington and Israel conspired "to bring down the so-called 'resistance axis' of Tehran-Damascus-Hizbollah...."

It dares challenge US/Israeli regional dominance. "There can be no military solution to the Syria crisis," Seale stresses. The longer fighting persists, the greater the chance for regional conflict and beyond.

Hegemons should be careful what they wish for. It may bring consequences far outweighing benefits achieved. At the same time, humanity always ends up losing. It has no say about imperial adventurism.

Fighting rages in Aleppo. On July 29, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) headlined "Terrorists Suffer Heavy Losses in Aleppo, Lattakia, Homs, Deir Ezzor and Hama," saying:

Clashes continue in and around Aleppo and other cities. "A source told SANA that the authorities inflicted heavy losses upon the terrorists and confiscated weapons and ammo."

Lebanon's al-Manar TV cited Syrian analyst Salim Harba. He says insurgents "are receiving painful blows."

Al-Manar also reported Blackwater elements "involved in security operations and murders. (They're) active at the Syrian border, especially in northern Lebanon and Turkey."

They're training insurgents to fight. They're directing them inside Syria.

The Syrian daily, al-Watan, calls Aleppo fighting "the mother of all battles." Fierce clashes continue. Insurgents "are using advanced European and Turkish arms." They include thermal rockets and anti-aircraft missiles.

Al-Watan says fighting may continue for some time. Thousands of insurgents are involved. They're from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Afghanistan, and other regional countries.

Aleppo witnesses say real war is raging. "(H)undreds of militants are falling one after another." Syrian forces "cleanse(d) areas close to Aleppo."

On July 29, Russia Today headlined "Aleppo blame game: Conflicting reports from the ground in Syria," saying:

Violent clashes continue. Media scoundrels and dubious sources claim "the Syrian regime is gearing for a 'massacre....' "

Al-Khabar TV reporter Sarkis Kassargian told RT:

"Last night, rebels attacked government buildings and police and intelligence centers in Aleppo. But they didn’t succeed to control any of those places. Attacks and clashes then occurred, but the Syrian army was acting in defense."

Insurgents control Al Hadi and Al Saher neighborhoods. Despite heavy fighting, residents aren't "fleeing the city in droves."

"Right now, there is no movement from government forces. Some families and residents in Aleppo are leaving the city, but most people are just moving to safer areas within the area, such as a local school and university."

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defended Assad, saying:

"How can one expect that the Syrian government will say, 'Yes go ahead, overthrow me.' "

"Our Western partners, together with some of Syria's neighbors, are essentially encouraging, supporting and directing an armed struggle against the regime."

Security analyst Charles Shoebridge told RT:

"The Syrian government is responding in a way that any government would do if faced with a situation of urban warfare."

On July 28, Voice of Russia (VOA) headlined "Syria ahead of decisive battle," saying:

Syria sent reinforcements to Aleppo. Washington is silent about insurgent violence. Other Western and regional countries don't condemn them. America is the lead sponsor of regional terrorism.

Insurgents want Aleppo transformed into Syria's Benghazi. City residents largely support Assad. They say "militants have been instilling terror taking people hostage and using them as human shields."

Turkey is Washington's lead attack dog. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has internal opposition. Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemel Kilicdaroglu calls Turkey "a country in trouble."

"We do not want our people to pay the price for Western interests. We do not want Turkey to be dragged into the swamp....(W)e do not want war."

"We were supposed to be the (regional) game-maker." (Instead) we ended up being played. We tried to warn them on the consequences of sectarian fighting in Syria. We were expelled for doing so....Turkey does not deserve to be a proxy country."

Along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, other Gulf states, Libya, and Jordan, Turkey is that and more. Regional states may get more than they bargained for.

Destroying Syria assures consequences. Perhaps they're next. Protests rock Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Others hit Egypt, Tunisia, Oman and the United Arab Emirites.

Yemeni unrest continues. Syria's conflict risks an unstable regional eruption. Palestine may see a third Intifada.

People denied basic rights only hold back so long. Brutal monarchies and other regional despots now taste their own medicine. Maybe a bucket full is coming. It's long overdue.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

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