It is My Turn!

By Agha Shaukat Jafri

There is nothing wrong with a bunch of mid-level diplomats from the U.S. Department of State, channeling their dissent against the policies of their President, as long as such a grievance stays within the realm of civility and proper protocols. What is unusual in this instance, though, is that the diplomats, who are supposed to act as ambassadors of peace and non-violence are advocating air strikes against Syria, whereas President Barack Obama’s military advisers, that include the Joint chiefs of staff as well as the Pentagon officials, are discouraging the President from taking any such action. This nation is, indeed, indebted to its founding fathers, who foresaw the will and wisdom in designating a civilian, the commander-in-chief of the Union and the supreme leader. Even though, there is no dearth of war-mongers within this mix, irrational enough to believe that U.S military action will not result in any bloodshed and destruction because, in retaliation for Bashar Assad’s barrel bombs, American Air force would be lobbing Syrian government installations with bouquets of flowers.

The naysayers, or for that matter the so-called experts on the Middle East, are failing to comprehend the real dynamics that explains the root cause of the bloodbath that is taking place, particularly since March, 2011, in the Levant in general and in Syria in particular. The trigger-happy bunch, meanwhile, is doing a masterful job of being sympathetic to the Syrian cause by siding with the Salafi segment of that country’s population. They continue to be engaged in a non-stop campaign of condemnation against  Syria’s other population centers such as Alawites, the Sunnis, the Kurds and the Christians.  However, a majority of Syrians reject the jaundiced judgment of these agitators, nor are these divisive dudes recognized as being truthful and sincere towards the survival of Syria. These so-called friends of Syria have chosen either a perilous path to score a few brownie points to impress their paymasters (Saudi Arabia, Qatar & United Arab Emirates), or they are part and parcel of a most mean and malicious mission to divide and destroy global Muslim community, already shaken and traumatized by the horrific happenings of the present times.

The so-called Free Syrian Army is neither free, nor do they have the moxie and the mettle to out dwell that country’s government forces, despite all the money from the Salafi Mafia, which is comprised of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and United Arab Emirates. This Mafia believes that  toppling Bashar al-Assad would enable them to install a Salafi dominated government. However, little do these fanatic fools realize that an act of this sort would only empower and embolden their bloodthirsty mercenaries, Al-Qaida, Al-Nusra and ISIS, who in turn will stage endless chaos, anarchy and genocide, as Syria will be partitioned into pieces. This outcome, would not only demolish Syrian sovereignty, but also would certainly dismantle every social, political and religious fabric of that ancient land. Given the experience of Iraq, Ukraine, Libya and now Yemen, Barack Obama is prudent to profess and practice a policy that has kept the domestic political balance in check, while executing a fair and formidable foreign policy that guarantees no further bloodshed and destruction. His administration does not want to burden U.S treasury with another trillion dollars on a meaningless venture, nor does he wish to visit the tragic scenes of receiving the body bags carrying the most brave and youthful sons of America. Furthermore, during the Republican party primary race, most of the candidates, including Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee, categorically dismissed the notion of air strikes against the Syrian government.

Finally and most critically, President Barack Obama and his policy makers understand the history as well as the dynamics of Syria and its people. They are quite cognizant of the fact that what started as a soft uprising, and poorly handled by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, was in fact a malicious movement  manufactured by none other than the the miscreants belonging to international Salafi apparatus. Of course, Turkey a recent entrant into Salafi family, instigated the initial act of facilitating the infiltration of the foreign fighters into Syria, only to be joined later by the goons of the Gulf States. After over 5 years of a most bloody and brutal conflict in Syria, the U.S government is not interested in adding any  more fuel to the fire, with the exception of a few Knee-jerk moves by the Obama administration to appease the war drum-beaters, i.e. 51 State Department diplomats. This administration is much interested in repairing the nightmarish problems of Detroit and Des Moins than entangling itself in the disasters of Damascus. On matters pertaining to the Levant, this government is on the right track for respecting the aspirations of a commanding majority of Syrian citizenry of almost 19 million, that is yearning and determined to keep their homeland sovereign and secular!