by Stephen Lendman

Syria's being systematically destroyed. Washington planned doing so years ago. Sovereign independence isn't tolerated. It's longstanding US policy.

Numerous states learned the hard way. Syria is America's latest victim. It's falsely blamed for Washington's war. The pattern by now is familiar.

Ravaging the world one country at a time or in multiples is policy. Terrorism is what they do, not us. Reasons for imperial wars are suppressed.

Wealth, power, privileged and unchallenged dominance alone matter. Sacrificing human lives and freedoms are small prices to pay. Regime change is prioritized. False pretexts facilitate intervention. Media propaganda glorifies war. It's done in the name of peace. Propaganda wars precede hot ones. Managed news misinformation enlists public support.

Mind manipulation convinces people to back what demands condemnation. Lawless aggression is called humanitarian intervention. Plunder is called economic development. Occupation, exploitation and imperial control are called democracy.

Might justifies right. Nations are destroyed for their own good. Humanity's increasingly threatened. Where things end who knows.

Syria's falsely accused of using chemical weapons. Iraq faced nonexistent WMD charges. Gaddafi faced fabricated rape and other war crimes accusations.

Headlines falsely accuse Iran of numerous terror plots. Repeating fabricated charges often enough gets people to believe them. Doing so facilitates what's planned.

Syria's in America's crosshairs. Zionist hardliner Dennis Ross spurns peace. He supports Israel's worst lawlessness. He prioritizes war.

"It's Time to Act in Syria," he urges. "American values and interests are at stake."

"There is a moral imperative to try to stop the onslaught against the Syrian population."

"It's hard to see how the country has a choice."

"(W)e need to do more to protect the Syrian population. (It's) an illusion to think that the United States will be able to affect the realities on the ground without providing lethal assistance."

Ross wants US Patriot missiles on Syria's border targeting its aircraft. He calls it "a no-fly zone on the cheap."

"Why not declare that any Syrian military aircraft flying within 50 miles of the border will be deemed to have hostile intent and will be shot down by the Patriots?"

"While there are costs in acting, the costs of inaction are growing by the day." America has "no choice."

Don't expect Ross and likeminded ideologues to explain what's most important. International law is clear and unequivocal.

No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others. Belligerent intervention is lawless aggression. America stands guilty as charged. Syria's its latest victim. Full-scale intervention perhaps looms.

On April 30, the Jerusalem Post (JP) headlined "US mulls way to hit Syria chemical weapons sites."

It cited a day earlier CNN report. It cited an anonymous senior administration saying "there is intensified planning in the works."

"As the situation in Syria becomes more grave and as we are increasingly concerned about chemical weapons use in Syria, it's the responsibility of the US military to prepare detailed options."

Boots on the ground may follow. Air and/or sea missile strikes are more likely. Perhaps Turkey and other NATO countries will intervene. Maybe Jordan and Israel will get involved. They border Syria.

JP cited the Arab newspaper Al-Akhbar. It reported "serious moves being made by the US that imply an imminent strike on Damascus."

A senior Egyptian diplomat was quoted saying so. He added that Israel would likely be involved.

On April 30, Mossad-connected DEBKAfile (DF) headlined "Surprise Israeli military drill on Syrian, Lebanese borders," saying:

Thousands of reservists were called up. "Moscow, Tehran, Damascus and Hizballah headquarters would assume that Israel is massing troops in advance of US military intervention in Syria."

DF added that "Obama is poised for a momentous decision on whether to pursue military action against Syrian military targets, including Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons facilities."

Three "primary options" were suggested:

(1) Bombing Syrian military bases and related facilities.

(2) Targeting alleged chemical weapons sites.

(3) Getting US troops in Jordan involved or make it appear likely.

Perhaps a combination of all three are planned.

IDF military exercises along the Lebanon/Syrian border suggests possible Israeli involvement.

On Tuesday morning, Obama held a surprise press conference. Press TV covered it. It asked this writer to comment on what he claimed about Syria.

He alleged "some evidence" that Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. He lied saying so. He’s a serial liar. He wants confirmation of a preliminary assessment based on intelligence information.

He repeated his "game changer" warning. He accused Assad of "killing his own people." We've heard it all before. He ignored long planned lawless US involvement.

He was asked if by game changer he means US military action. He responded saying:

"(T)here are options that are available to me that are on the shelf right now that we have not deployed, and that’s a spectrum of options."

"You know, as early as last year I asked the Pentagon, our military, our intelligence officials to prepare for me what options might be available."

"And I won't go into the details of what those options might be, but you know, clearly, that would be an escalation, in our view, of the threat to the security of the international community, our allies and the United States."

"And that means that there's some options that we might not otherwise exercise that we would strongly consider."

Whether full-scale intervention looms remains to be seen. Perhaps Libya 2.0 is planned. Doing so will likely involve NATO.

Rick Rozoff explained its post-Cold War global agenda. It partners in America's wars. It's waged them "on three continents."

Former US permanent NATO representative Kurt Volker was quoted saying it "engaged in eight simultaneous operations on four continents" in 2005.

NATO's "well poised to supplant the United Nations (as perhaps) the exclusive arbiter of conflicts" worldwide, said Rozoff.

It calls itself a "political and military alliance for peace and security." It's always been more for offense than defense.

It's a US-led imperial tool. It acts without Security Council authorization. It ignores international law. It threatens world peace and human survival.

On December 23, 1776, Thomas Paine said "These are the times that try men's souls." Imagine what he'd say now.

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

His new book is titled "Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity"

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

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http://www.dailycensored.com/whats-ahead-in-syria/