By Ângelo Alves

“Syria and the Middle East”

Translated "Avante!" article by Ângelo Alves, Member of the PCP Political Committee and of the International Department

The international situation is becoming more and more complex and dangerous, demanding more and more from the forces that struggle against the imperialist offensive, towards progress, social justice, democracy, sovereignty, international cooperation and peace. But, at the same time, the developments become more visible, capitalism’s great contradictions and the complex process of force rearrangement, at international level, by withdrawing the field to imperialist propaganda, which always follows its domain plans, via militarism, several regions re-dimensioning, interference and war.

The current Middle East situation is a proof. The Russian air force has been monitoring raids for some days, targeting terrorist organizations as ISIS (the so-called Islamic State) and the Al Nusra ( the Al Qaeda branch within Syria). The military action is performed on the request of the Syrian government and coordinated with the country’s armed forces. Other countries in the region, as Iran and Iraq , support this military action, as stated by president Bashar Al-Assad.

The developments prove the Russian Federation and the Syrian forces’ military action is sorting out effects. At the very same moment this article is published and upon a few days of air raids, the news available are about the desertion and flight of about “Islamic State” and “Al Nusra” 600 fighters , as well as the destruction of important strategic targets such as bunkers /magazines and other military material depots, great amounts of military vehicles and an important ISIS command centre. These facts, corresponding to less than a week’s operations, contrast with the balance of more than a year of a so-called “ struggle against terrorism” carried out by the USA and its allies, ignoring any Syrian government authorization, and has, resulting in an increase of the “Islamic State” geographical expansion and a greater chaos, both in Syria and Iraq.

The USA, European Union and NATO reactions did not wait. If the USA “ combat against terrorism” was in the past, greeted and supported by the “West”, the combat against terrorism in progress, carried out within international legality – and by request of the Syrian authorities – created a USA and its allies response, which proves their objective is not fighting terrorism but instead, operating “a change of regime” in Syria, similarly to those carried out in countries like Iraq or in Libya, and which consequences are well known. Therefore, Obama’s statements, ought to be resumed in one idea: the central objective is not fighting those terrorist organizations but, instead, use them to throw down the Syrian government and subdue the country to the North-American imperialism’s interests and plans.

Hypocrisy can no more hinder what really the USA and NATO want, as well as its role in Syria’s destabilization. This fact is well demonstrated by “accusations” directed by the western media that, the Russian Federation is “bombing factions that perform under the Syria’s Free Army “umbrella”, supported by the West, including fighters trained by the CIA”. An “accusation”, being the most brilliant confession of what has been said for a long time, in other words, that the Syrian conflict was decided, created and nurtured by the north-American imperialism and its allies and that the mercenary and terrorist organizations, which spread destruction and the chaos within that country are financed, armed and trained by the NATO powers, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

These recent developments hold central importance in the Middle East situation developments. To preserve the Syrian integrity and territorial unity, defeat the sectarian violence logics and stop the Middle East re-division imperialism plans, is of vital importance for the people of Syria and all the peoples in the region. And that is why the USA criticize the Russian Federation action and together, with the European Union, manage to create “ cases” as the supposed “ Turkish aerial space violation” and prepare offensive actions as an exclusive aerial zone within Syrian territory.

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