America: A Modern-Day SpartaStephen Lendman Giving peace a chance is loathed. Direct or proxy wars rage in multiple countries. Yes we can reflects Obamas pro-war, pro-imperial, pro-ravage, plunder and dominate agenda. He prioritizes it. He abhors human rights, equity, justice, and other democratic values. Rogue leaders operate that way. Rule of law principles are spurned. Constitutional protections no longer apply. Any nation, organization or person designated a state enemy is targeted. Change you can believe in is polar opposite of what most people expected. Americas empire of bases is global. US special forces operate in over 120 countries. Proxy death squads supplement them. CIA agents and assets are everywhere. Washingtons Blog said Americas waging 74 wars. Its fighting or helping some force in some proxy struggle that has been deemed beneficial by the nations masters of war. At the same time, its waging many more covert wars. It bears repeating, the very notion of peace is abhorrent. Waging war is prioritized. Paul Craig Roberts calls America a gangster state. He does so for good reason. Its domestic and foreign policies reflect it. No nation ever harmed more people in more ways globally. None ever spurned rule of law principles more egregiously. Waging war on terrors a ruse. Its duplicitous subterfuge. Americas had no enemies since Japan surrendered in August 1945. Manufactured ones substitute. Theyre easy to create. Media scoundrels convince people. Repeating Big Lies ad nauseam works. No terror threat whatever exists. An equally astonishing 75% believe restricting civil liberties is OK. Over one-fourth said existing policy measures arent enough. Another near 50% said theyre about right. Only 20% said government went too far. Nearly 80% accept mass surveillance. People believe it reduces the threat of terrorism. No wonder America wages war on humanity easily. It does so at home and abroad. Domestic opposition barely exists. It bodes ill for whats likely coming. Most people are mindless of what threatens their security, welfare and futures. Theyre comfortable with whats destroying them in plain sight. They cant see the forest through the trees. Theyre oblivious to a clear, present and ominous danger. It may end up destroying them. Extrajudicial, unchecked, imperial carte blanche war on the world is policy. Theres no place to hide. No ones immune. Peace doesnt stand a chance. Bashar al-Assad understands. Hes struggling to let Syria survive. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) published his interview with Argentinas Clarin newspaper and Telam news agency. His comments were candid and forthright. He blamed foreign interference for Syrias conflict. Most Syrians reject all forms of external intervention. For us, it is a matter of safeguarding Syria. (O)ur level of force relate to the types of weapons and terrorism techniques we are dealing with as well as our ultimate goal of protecting the lives of civilians and the country as a whole. Terrorism can never be the instrument to achieve reforms. What interest does an internationally listed terrorist from Chechnya or Afghanistan have with the internal political reform process in Syria? How is the legitimate demand for reform linked with terrorist activities adopted by radicalized foreign fighters? Recent credible reports show that there are approximately 29 nationalities of foreign fighters engaged in terrorism activities within Syrias borders. He stressed his commitment to political reforms. Many have been implemented, he said. The essence of any political solution is the aspirations of the Syrian people, decided by the ballot boxes. Syrians alone must decide. No outside interference is justified. International law prohibits it. Asked his view on the US/Russian proposed peace conference, he reiterated support for all ways to end violence diplomatically. A political settlement depends on it, he stressed. At the same time, hes justifiably skeptical of the genuine intentions of certain western administrations towards seeking a realistic political solution. This caution is based on their continued support of terrorist groups in Syria. We are dedicated to pursuing a political solution, yet there are powers who are pressing for the failure of such a solution. This is a two-way process; it needs commitment from all sides. (F)oreign-based opposition elements (are) far from autonomous independent decision makers. Their policies are crafted by the countries that give them leverage. (They) survive on the aid given to them by their patron states, in essence manipulated by the nations that provide their flow of finance. They live under the auspice and control of their intelligence agencies and thus submit to what is imposed upon them. Therefore their decisions are not self-governing; most significantly, they lack a popular base in Syria. Its well-documentedthat they have until last week clearly and repeatedly rejected political dialogue. He stressed his commitment to a comprehensive national dialogue (with) all who have a genuine desire to participate, with no exclusions. He rejects doing so with terrorists. There is no state that would ever negotiate with terrorists. However, we welcome those who lay down their weapons and engage in constructive political dialogue. Peaceful conflict resolutions impossible when external forces support terrorism, he stressed. Guns and dialogue are clearly incompatible. Our assumption is that these countries would not cease this policy as their main goal is to undermine and thus weaken the Syrian state. Even when we succeed in reaching a Syrian-led political agreement, certain countries such as Qatar, Turkey and others will continue to work to fuel violence and terrorism in Syria. Therefore, our main precedence from an international conference is an immediate cessation of finance and weapons that are regularly streamed into Syria, placing emphasis on preventing the terrorists and fighters from being flooded into Syria principally through Turkey, with financial support primarily from Qatar and also from other Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia. He understands major international powers are involved. So is Israel. Asked if hed step down, he said Syrian people will decide whether I remain in office or not.Through the constitution and the presidential elections in 2014, the people will decide. He rejects Obama, Kerry or other external figures interfering in Syrias internal affairs. They have no mandate to speak for Syrians. To be even more concise and clear, we are an independent state, we are a people who respect ourselves and our right to self-determination. We do not accept for anyone to dictate to us how to act, whether it is the United States or any other country. Syrias in crisis, he stressed. Any abandonment of my duties now is an attempt to escape from responsibility and Im not the type of person who runs away from his responsibilities. He categorically denied repeated allegations that Syria used chemical weapons. Theyre a clear pretext for military intervention. It is common knowledge that western administrations lie continuously and manufacture stories as a pretext for war. Washington and other major powers delegated Israel to commit its aggression in order to improve the morale of the terrorist groups. They did so because Syrian forces shift(ed) the balance of power on the ground. (They want) to prolong the violence and bloodshed (to) significantly weaken the Syrian state. He believes military action may be forthcoming. The primary aim of the West is to ensure that they have loyal governments at their disposal, similar to those administrations that existed previously in Latin America, which facilitate the exploitation and consumption of a countrys national resources. A country like Syria is not by any means a satellite state to the West. Syria is an independent state working for the interests of its people, rather than making the Syrian people work for the interests of the West. It is only normal that they would not want us to play a role, preferring instead a puppet government serving their interests and creating projects that would benefit their peoples and economies. Syria is strategically placed not just for oil and gas projects, but also to shift the balance of power between the major players. Previous peace initiatives failed. Another wont fare better. Washington prioritizes failure. War is longstanding policy. Americas a worldwide belligerent. Unchallenged global dominance matters most. Independent governments arent tolerated. All means are employed to oust them. Pro-Western satellite regimes are sought. Irans Americas principal regional target. War plans were readied years ago. Replacing Assads government makes them easier to implement. So does eliminating Lebanons Hezbollah. Americas coalition partners include key NATO allies, Israel, and regional rogue states. Theyre committed to war. They abhor peace. They menace humanity. They may end up destroying it. Their arsenals make it easy. Dont bet against their use full force. RELATED ACTIVIST POST ARTICLE: Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.His new book is titled How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War.Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/ linkwithin_text=Related Articles: 