Fears of a broader, perhaps global, war spreading from the fires of Syria’s seven-plus year conflict are currently being fanned by western media.
The focus of its interest this time is in Idlib province, where previously defeated fighters were allowed by the Syrian Arab Army to flee.
As it has in the past, the press is propagating an “Assad chemical weapons attack” narrative, used once in East Ghouta to unsuccessfully fool president Obama into escalation, and again in Khan Sheikoun, prompting president Trump into a retaliatory cruise missile barrage, (ostensibly to protect Syrian civilians).
The truth though is, the war fomented and fueled by Trump’s predecessor has always been about regime change, and that failed effort remains the impetus behind all the American coalition’s actions so far, and whichever others are to come.
Roger Annis is a longtime socialist and trade union activist. He’s a prolific essayist, whose website, A Socialist in Canada covers a broad swath of topics and issues from a social justice and peace perspective. He’s followed western regime change efforts in Ukraine, Venezuela, and Syria and contends, when it comes to foreign affairs, whether Trudeau, or Trump, May or Macron, the policies are indistinguishable.
Roger Annis in the first half.
And; those following the career of Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor, John Bolton will be unsurprised by his recent threats against and disparagement of the International Criminal Court. But the vitriol of his attack, with its denial of allowing US soldiers answer for alleged torture and other war crimes committed in Afghanistan, and denunciation of efforts by Palestine to get the ICC to indict Israel for its crimes against civilians is instructive; touching as it does the rawest of the New American Century’s nerves, exceptionalism.
David Swanson is a peace and political justice activist, journalist, radio host, and author. He’s also director of WorldBeyondWar.org whose annual confab Designing a World Beyond War: Legalizing Peace kicks off this week in Toronto. David’s book titles include: ‘War No More: The Case for Abolition,’ ‘When the World Outlawed War,’ ‘War Is a Lie,’ and ‘The Military Industrial complex at 50’ among others.
You can find out more at: #NoWar2018. David also blogs at Let’s Try Democracy (DavidSwanson.org), WarIsACrime.org, and hosts the public affairs program, Talk Nation Radio.
David Swanson and designing a World beyond war in the second half.
And; Victoria-based activist and CFUV Radio broadcaster at-large, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Events Bulletin of some of the good things to gotten up to in and around our town in the coming week. But first, Roger Annis and the accelerating pressures on regimes still resisting “change.”
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/