The End of Syria – Larry Wilkerson (DCC64) (Syria, Left and Right Wing, and Destroying the Last Part of the Western Imperial Core so Europe)

23:18

“I think we frankly created ISIS. You mentioned the 2015 issue with Obama, but there’s an author named William Von who has a book coming out. He points to presidential directives from around 2010 that Obama signed, saying things to the effect that Mubarak was declining, and the U.S. didn’t want a succession crisis. The idea was to find ways to involve the Muslim Brotherhood so that at least there would be a “devil we know,” as they were the only other viable actor.

To me, this lends more support to the idea that the Arab Spring itself was a U.S.-backed production. Platforms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter were heavily involved, and we now know that they are deeply intertwined with the national security state, likely always having been. The narrative about what’s been happening in the Middle East and about terrorism has become so implausible that you’d have to be oblivious to believe it anymore.

But will this have any real impact on the U.S. and the world? It seems like it should destroy what’s left of Western legitimacy. However, it won’t as long as we have the power of the dollar and sanctions backed by the dollar. In terms of public perception, I think the damage is happening. The reputational harm began with George W. Bush and the use of sanctions and torture. That caused incredible damage, but it hasn’t been enough to truly injure the empire.

To really injure the empire, you would have to disrupt its ability to keep two billion people under sanctions. For example, sanctions severely affected Assad, contributing to the collapse of his military capabilities. As long as this power remains, it’s a critical tool of influence. That’s why leaders like Xi Jinping and Putin, along with 14 other nations in BRICS, are working tirelessly to establish a commodity exchange system, new currencies, and national currencies. These efforts aim to replace the dollar as the reserve and transactional currency of the world. That movement is one of the most significant challenges to U.S. dominance, aside from the ever-present risk of nuclear war.

The threat of nuclear conflict is deeply alarming, and no one seems likely to benefit from it. Regarding the dollar, as countries in West Africa reject French influence and German industry suffers from being cut off from Russia, Europe faces a severe crisis. How does Europe rebound from this? The trends suggest that the dollar’s dominance is waning, and the euro, as a satellite currency to the dollar, is equally vulnerable.

How can Europe escape this predicament? What’s happening in the Middle East and Ukraine doesn’t seem to work in NATO’s or the EU’s favor. Could there be a break? If so, what would that mean for the U.S.? For instance, if Germany realizes that its future lies in aligning with the East, how would that reshape the global landscape?”

This General Wesley Clark interview in DemocracyNow is from Mar. 2, 2007

I have written before that I’ve known for a long time that the world is built on lies. I remember when I had a revelation about it, even before watching Zeitgeist, which changed my life. Around 2005/6, I was watching the Iraq war unfold and noticed that what was being said didn’t make sense—in other words, they were lying. I started watching Al Jazeera English online. At some point, I came across an interview with a U.S. Marine who had served in Iraq. He talked about the orders he had received: the American military was instructed to enter Iraqi homes in the middle of the night with weapons drawn, aim them at people, not explain what was happening, put a black bag over the head of one family member, and take them away under threat of violence.

The family had no idea whether their family member would return, be sent to Guantanamo, or be killed. The soldier said he didn’t understand those orders—they seemed stupid to him. He also said that if someone treated his family the way he was ordered to treat Iraqis, he himself would have joined terrorists like Al-Qaeda. At the time, I didn’t understand those orders either, but later, I did. Those orders weren’t stupid—they achieved exactly what they were meant to achieve.

The Americans’ goal wasn’t to rebuild Iraq but to create ISIS. If they had rebuilt Iraq, they could have secured very favorable oil contracts, but they would still have had to pay market prices—maybe low ones, but still market prices. After all, they couldn’t just outright steal Iraq’s oil. But they could “cultivate” terrorists—an ISIS state they ostensibly fought against but actually allowed them to extract oil. Then, our international Western corporations could buy that oil from terrorists, illegally, at a fraction of the market price.

If our corporations bought oil from ISIS illegally at, say, 50% of the market price, they were effectively stealing half of Iraq’s oil. It was the only way to steal Iraq’s oil—by buying it cheaply from terrorists and thus increasing profits. After all, what’s the point of buying oil at market price?

Think about how brilliant that manipulation is, how ingenious these people are. ISIS thought they were fighting for their country, for their people, but in reality, they were extracting oil and selling it to Western companies, thinking, “The Americans and the West are so stupid! They’re buying oil from us, and we’re using that money to kill their soldiers!” Meanwhile, they were doing exactly what Western oligarchs wanted—trading soldiers’ lives for cheaper oil. Thanks to ISIS, Western corporations could earn more, and suddenly, the orders the U.S. military received in Iraq no longer seem so stupid.

The American military’s task was to terrorize the local population to foster the creation of terrorists like ISIS, which allowed our corporations to buy oil at a lower price illegally and make more profit. People think ISIS and what happened in Iraq were the results of our leaders’ incompetence. No—they hide their brilliant evil under the guise of incompetence.

– YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

6:50

“The leader of HTS is historically known for having welcomed the attack on the Twin Towers in New York over 20 years ago. Imagine going to the American people and saying, “This guy supported the attack on the Twin Towers, but now he’s our hero.” It highlights the hypocrisy of those at the top. Imperialism in every region looks for actors it can use to advance its own interests, which means that yesterday’s enemy can become today’s friend. What hasn’t changed are the interests of the imperialist powers in the region.

If you look at the collapse of the Syrian regime, the conditions the Syrian people have suffered over the past few years have only gotten worse. I read that close to 70% of the population now lives in poverty. Interestingly, more than half of those living in poverty are concentrated in just three areas: Aleppo, Hama, and Deir ez-Zor. The economic and social conditions in places like Aleppo or Hama are desperate.

On top of that, the regime has become utterly parasitic, starting with Assad himself and extending to his cronies. Many people close to Assad have become rich by plundering what used to be publicly owned properties, such as telecommunications and other companies, which were privatized and handed to Assad’s friends, making billions in the process. One individual, Makhlouf, became immensely wealthy at the expense of ordinary people, effectively plundering the country’s wealth.

The Civil War compounded this. For example, oil used to be a major source of income for the regime, but it lost control of oil production. A significant portion is now directly controlled by the United States and its allies, including the Kurds in the Northeast. With the regime having lost its sources of income, privatized much of its economy, and empowered crony capitalists, it’s no surprise that what appeared from the outside to be a powerful regime eventually collapsed.

While the regime seemed stable with the help of Russian and Iranian support, it had fought back against various groups since 2011. Outwardly, it appeared to stabilize, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving. The outer shell of the regime remained intact, but internally, it had been hollowed out. It’s like a piece of furniture riddled with woodworms—it might look stable from a distance, but when touched, it crumbles to dust.

A YouTuber recently claimed to be in touch with a high-ranking officer in the Syrian Army’s Fourth Corps, one of its better divisions, stationed in Aleppo. He reported that a garrison of 10,000 men simply melted away when faced with an attack by jihadist forces. The officer provided some context, highlighting several issues.

First, he noted the professionalism and logistics of the jihadist fighters, who had been supported, trained, armed, and equipped by Turkey. He mentioned radio communication jamming by the enemy, which is a basic issue in warfare but doesn’t fully explain the collapse. More significantly, he pointed to treason among senior officers, who had increasingly seen the army as a means to enrich themselves. Some of these officers reportedly made deals with jihadist groups at critical moments. With Russian and Hezbollah forces distracted elsewhere, these corrupt officers—who were supposed to be the first line of defense—likely found it easy to collude with the opposition.

The most critical factor, however, was the lack of willingness among Syrian troops to fight. This was understandable given the disparity in conditions. Al-Nusra fighters, for example, were paid $1,500 a month, while Syrian soldiers received only $50. Al-Nusra troops were fully equipped and appeared as professional soldiers, while Syrian troops often wore sneakers like Adidas or Nike and looked more like a militia than an army.”

15:27

“As you explained, the effects of the war have led to extreme economic dislocation, compounded by American sanctions. These factors have caused the Syrian economy to completely collapse over the past three years. The Syrian currency, the lira, has devalued by 90%, creating a desperate situation.

In such conditions, corruption and oppression have worsened. Officers and warlords controlling various parts of the army exploited their positions for personal gain. For instance, they would raid buildings, strip them of valuable materials, and sell the goods. They also set up checkpoints to extort bribes. In fact, conscript soldiers were treated so poorly that people would sometimes bribe them out of sympathy rather than fear or self-preservation. There have been reports of conscript soldiers taken hostage by HTS who received their first warm meal in years while in captivity.

One report from October 2022 compared the cost of living in Syria over time. In 2014, the cost of living and the minimum salary were roughly equal, around 13,000 Syrian lira. By September 2022, however, the cost of living for an individual had soared to about 3.5 million lira, while the minimum wage was only 92,000 lira. This drastic disparity has left more than 60% of the population stating that their primary concern is simply obtaining food.”

Again, I am not a communist because I am a nationalist, and I am against the idea of a one-world government, which communists aim to create. However, I am a socialist, and I understand Marx. Since communists also understand Marx and use Marxist analysis, they often make a lot of sense. Syria, for example, was embroiled in conflict, leading to its destruction. Its oil fields were taken by the enemy, and the entire country was subjected to Western sanctions. How, under such conditions, can a nation sustain resistance?

The only country in history that has effectively resisted Western sanctions is Russia. I say “effectively” because while countries like Cuba and Venezuela have also survived Western sanctions, they did so at a significant cost to the standard of living for their citizens. Russia stands out as the only country able to resist Western sanctions effectively because it is highly self-sufficient, and Putin had been preparing for this since at least 2007, if not earlier. Not all countries can resist the West simply because Russia did so. Russia is a unique case due to its size, resources, and high level of self-sufficiency, a legacy of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union, being self-reliant to counter the West, left behind structures that enabled Russia to oppose Western sanctions effectively. But this is an exception that proves the rule.

Let’s think for a moment about how any country that opposes the West—and therefore faces Western sanctions—could sustain resistance. Sustaining resistance means providing a minimal standard of living for its people while also supporting an army to resist Western pressures. How could such a country pay its army as generously as Western oligarchs can? How could it maintain even an average standard of living for its people while being under physical attack, economically devastated, and sanctioned?

This issue was highlighted in a communist video that posed the question: “What is democracy? Can you eat it?”

Michael Parenti aptly described the situation:

“There’s what the Empire is about: controlling people everywhere, at home and abroad, giving them as little as possible so that the few at the top get as rich as possible. The hungrier and poorer you are, the harder you’ll work for less and less. 

That’s what the world is all about, unfortunately.

For you to think our leaders are stupid, or that the people who own this world and have built hundreds of military bases are stupid, is to be a bit stupid yourself. If you think your leader is stupid because he mispronounces words, you’re being stupid. If you think your leader is enlightened and intelligent, and has your interests at heart because he speaks smoothly and articulately, you’re being stupid also.” – Michael Parenti

Now, this global capitalist “cancer” is coming for its own core—Europe. The Empire initially ensured a better life for its core regions, such as Europe, the US, and Japan. However, this capitalist cancer—a profit-driven system detached from the state that created it—began destroying the core of its empire. In the US, the free-market, profit-driven system weakened the state itself. Meanwhile, Japan initially avoided this “cancer” and began to catch up economically. To counter this, the US imposed “structural changes” in Japan, spreading the free-market system there to handicap its growth. Now it’s Europe’s turn.

Europe is under imperial control, largely through Germany’s influence, and its neocolonial project—the EU—collaborates with Russia. Europe once sought independence, much like Japan did earlier. But now, structural changes are being imposed on Europe, following the pattern seen in Japan and the US.

There is significant resentment among the population, but they are uninformed and manipulated by Western oligarchs into supporting right-wing ideologies. Many mistakenly believe Europe’s problems stem from socialism or imaginary “communism,” rather than the actions of Western oligarchs. This misinformation is deliberately spread to channel public discontent into right-wing movements, enabling further free-market exploitation. By portraying socialism and government programs as the problem, Western oligarchs aim to dismantle any system that limits their profits.

Instead of fostering a united and independent Europe, Germany pursued a neocolonial agenda through the EU, weakening European unity and indirectly contributing to conflicts like the Ukraine war. Now, the goal is to promote right-wing leaders, such as Marine Le Pen or the AfD, to facilitate structural changes similar to those enacted by Richard Nixon and Margaret Thatcher. These changes would dismantle the remnants of Europe’s social welfare systems—the last vestiges of a good standard of living in the Western capitalist imperial core.

Most people believe Europe’s challenges are due to socialism, a narrative pushed by Western oligarchs to enable further exploitation. Western elites create crises, blame them on the Left and socialism, and use this as an excuse to strip away protections for ordinary people, enriching themselves at the expense of the state and the population. Europe is no exception. The same profit-driven system that first weakened the US, then Japan and Asia, is now targeting Europe.

This strategy is succeeding. Instead of a socialist uprising, we see right-wing movements gaining momentum. These movements play directly into the hands of Western oligarchs, providing the structural changes needed to dismantle the last remaining protections for working people in Europe. Europe’s social welfare systems serve as a “bad example” for the rest of the imperial core, demonstrating that a decent standard of living is possible. Western oligarchs are determined to destroy this model.

Figures like Marine Le Pen and the AfD represent a new Nixon or Thatcher for Europe. Their policies will further the profit-driven free-market system at the expense of the population. Just as people once cheered for Nixon and Thatcher, they will cheer for these leaders, unaware they are enabling their own decline. This is the power of manufactured reality.

Even leaders like Trump, while claiming to oppose wars, ultimately serve Western capitalism by increasing profits for the elite at the expense of the working class. Le Pen and Trump may believe they are helping average citizens, but their policies inadvertently strengthen international capitalism while undermining their own people.

It’s time to expose lies and our vulnerabilities so we can patch them and patch this world, and make it better for everyone. However, this will not come without cost, as freedom—essential for a better world—is never free.

“Freedom is not free; you need to pay attention.”

― Grzegorz Ochman

Therefore, we must encourage people to pay attention and share with them the truths that have been suppressed. For example, consider this communist YouTube channel—it cannot be played on the platform. When I was posting about it, I thought to myself, my God, this is so funny. Who controls what we are allowed to see? Western oligarchs. And they don’t want us to see this channel.

Do you really think these Western oligarchs have your best interests at heart? They don’t want you to see the truth. LOL.