Burkina Faso: Commentary Suggests Iran, Syria Bush's Next Targets Ouagadougou Sidawaya in French 11 Mar 05 p 40 [Commentary: "Middle East -- the Syrian Challenge"] The show of force by the Hizballah group last week will not change anything, nor will the "moderate" opposition's call on the United States not to interfere in the internal affairs of Lebanon. Syria will have to withdraw from Lebanon, and worst of all, the current Damascus authorities will have to "give in" to the new "American version" of democratic order. The pro- and anti-Syrian demonstrations that are currently shaking Lebanon are bringing to the forefront once again the shaky history between the two countries, which nothing should have separated. Syria and Lebanon, both of which belonged to the Ottoman Turkish Empire and created at gunpoint under Suliman the Magnificent, were separated officially only in 1920, due to French colonialism. After the First World War, there was the need to redefine the colonial boundaries in the Middle East in order that all of the allied powers could have their share of the cake. The Turkish Empire, which had lost its Afro-Mediterranean portion, lost Syria and Lebanon, with the first going to Great Britain, and Lebanon becoming a French protectorate. However, since common multi-secular history cannot be easily erased, one understands the Hizballah of Hasan Nasrallah for going so far during its demonstrations in favor of maintaining "big brother" Syrian in Lebanon. Syria took roots in Lebanon at the request of the Lebanese themselves, during the time when the civil war broke out in 1977. This is proof that the Syrian presence on Lebanese soil is not as illegal as one might think, even if Walid Jumblatt, spokesperson of the opposition, after the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri, asked Americans to refrain from any "rash interference" in the internal affairs of Lebanon. However, the demonstrations of 7 March, just like Walid Jumblatt, came to nothing, for George Walker Bush would not budge. Damascus "must withdraw from Lebanon before the elections of next spring," says the American President. Referring to "regional urgencies," Bush talked about the fight against terrorism, as well as nuclear proliferation, while making a clear allusion to Iran. Bush is already talking of the day "when the Iranian people will be free," as if to justify the next "crusade" against this country. The main reason underlying Bush's determination to "democratize" the entire Middle East is to strengthen further the security and military force of Israel in the region. The secondary reason is to control the immense oil resources in the region, and to eradicate the remaining communist pockets. The crusade, which started in 1997 against the Taliban of Afghanistan (former allies, who became "dangerous" due to their religious rigor), continued against Saddam Husayn's Iraq, and must now be extended to Syria and Iran. In the case of Syria, it has to do first of all with the end of the only existing Ba'ath regime, after Saddam Husayn. Once the "purifying" work is done, it will be followed by that of political "civilizing," with democratic elections of men in favor of Washington, and hence Tel Aviv. This follows the Iraqi pattern, with all of the uncertainties and resistance that brings about wars of colonization. By the way, neither Afghanistan nor Iraq is yet to be "pacified," despite the installation of democratic governments in those countries. However, with a "docile" Syrian Government, the issue of the occupation of the Golan Heights by Israeli troops since 1967 will be given a miss. This issue had always been raised under Hafiz al-Asad, and also under Bashar al-Asad, his son. The problem is that from the summit of the Golan, one has a clear view of the Israeli state, and so Tel Aviv cannot accept the fact that "terrorists" govern Syria. This is therefore a strategic issue, just as the occupation of the West Bank [historic land of Israel, according to orthodox Jews, who still call it Judea and Samaria] and also an economic one, since the Golan plateau is the "watershed" of the region. Tel Aviv draws 80 percent of its water resources from the Lake Genesareth. It is also a global geo-strategic stake, since the fall of the current government of Damascus would automatically mean the loss of influence of Moscow in the Near and Middle East. One therefore understands the prudence of Moscow on the Syrian issue; Vladimir Putin recently called for consultation among the big powers, prior to any coercive action against Damascus or Theran. However, since it is cornered by the Chechen issue, and also by the difficulties of its growing economy, Moscow has no choice but to follow the movement, just like in March 2003, in the hope of benefiting from some dividends through financial compensation and the silence of Washington on the human rights violations in Chechnya. Since France has become a "medium" power, and China has no "direct" interests in the Near and Middle East, the "phase II" of the political reconstruction of the Middle East could start soon with Syria. This is a headache for Tehran, which has also been listed as part of the "axis of evil." The wishes of Bush... [ellipses as published] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
