by Stephen Lendman

Make no mistake. Syria is Obama’s war, planned long before Washington instigated conflict in March 2011. His neocon-infested administration bears full responsibility for devastating regional carnage. The free world’s top obligation is stopping America’s imperial menace.

Putin’s intervention is the most significant development since Syria’s conflict began - Washington at the time believing it could oust Assad, rape and destroy Syria as easily as it disposed of Gaddafi, turning Libya into a dystopian wasteland of endless violence and chaos. Syria was heading for the same dismal fate until Russia intervened responsibly - allying with Iran, Iraq, Damascus and perhaps China, uniting against terrorism, urging other nations to join them cooperatively against a scourge vital to destroy, or watch it spread dangerously cross-borders to other countries, eventually landing in Europe and other distant areas.

The time to confront trouble is early, before it spirals out-of-control. Delay risks disaster. Why Putin’s committed intervention is so important. Russia is vulnerable to terrorism. So are China and numerous other countries.

Washington is using its contagion to wage war on humanity. The time is now to draw a red line, confronting this menace no-holds-barred to crush it - undermining Washington imperial agenda at the same time.

Putin righteously took the lead - hopefully encouraging many other nations to ally with his mission. Together they can crush ISIS and other terror groups - reduce them at most to annoyances, far from today’s global menace.

Washington’s agenda is endless wars of aggression. Putin forthrightly works for peace and stability. He deserves universal support.

Interviewed from Damascus on Iranian Khabar television, Assad commented candidly and forthrightly on important issues affecting Syria, like he always does - polar opposite Obama’s demagogic bluster and serial lying. He rightfully stressed the folly of trusting Western officials, especially Americans, pursuing a pure evil agenda.

“(N)o foreign officials (should) decide the future of Syria, (its) political system or the individuals” in charge to govern, he stressed. “This is the Syrian people’s decision.”

“…Western officials are in a state of confusion and their vision lacks clarity. At the same time, they are overwhelmed by a sense of failure concerning the plans they drew and didn’t achieve…(They’re) only objective (is) destroying Syria’s infrastructure and causing a great deal of bloodshed.”

“They aimed at replacing this state with a client state which implements the agendas dictated by foreign governments. At the same time…(their) lies…started to unravel.”

Washington and other complicit rogue states used the phony Arab spring they created and manipulated “to attack the states whose political line they didn’t like,” said Assad - notably Libya, Syria and Yemen.

Before conflict began in 2011, the West offered Syria nothing, he explained - only “pressure and blackmail.”

European countries and Canada “have one master, which is the United States. All these countries behave in accordance with the dictates of the American maestro.” They’re “statements are similar,” echoing US dictated policy, following orders from Washington. “This is a fact,” Assad explained.

Asked what the West wants from Syria, he said they want it divided into “a number of weak statelets…at the same time ensuring Israel’s security. These objectives are not new. They have always been there, but the instruments of dealing with them differ from time to time.”

Conflict in Syria is the direct result of foreign intervention, Assad explained, along with the rise of ISIS and other terrorist groups committing atrocities, wrongfully called rebels. They’re mercenaries, extremists, hired killers.

Syria made important constitutional changes, “providing more freedoms, (creating) new (political) parties,” changing media law, Assad explained. “All the things which were demanded, or which were used as slogans in the demonstrations, were implemented.”

Then Western countries, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia “started talking about the issue of the president specifically. Why? Because they wanted to personalize the issue, (to blame everything going on the result of) one individual, and he, and not the terrorists or the regional and Western states (wanting Syria destabilized), is responsible.”

The issue of the presidency and how the state is to be governed is up to Syrians alone, Assad stressed - guaranteed under international law.

“(F)rom the very beginning, it was clear to us that there were foreign hands behind” terrorists causing violence and instability.

Syria’s fight against terrorism must succeed, Assad stressed. Otherwise the entire region is endangered. He’s confident now with Russia and other coalition partners involved, there’s “a great chance (for) success.” The entire free world depends on it.

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

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

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

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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