Washington Fabricates Chemical Weapons Pretext For War Against Syria

[cvictorg]

Washington Fabricates Chemical Weapons Pretext For War Against Syria By Bill Van Auken

Syria and the Changing Middle East Energy Map-Carnegie Middle East Center - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

"But what gives the US the moral authority to proclaim “red lines” on this issue? In its nearly nine-year war in Iraq, the US military used chemical weapons to devastating effect. In its barbaric siege of Fallujah, it employed white phosphorus shells and an advanced form of napalm, both banned by international conventions, to burn men, women and children alive.

The legacy of these weapons continues to plague the Iraqi people—with huge increases in child leukemia and cancer, and an epidemic of nightmarish birth defects in Fallujah, Basra and other cities subjected to US military siege.

It should also be recalled that it was the British who introduced chemical warfare to the Middle East, dropping mustard gas bombs on Iraqi tribes that resisted British colonial rule. Winston Churchill, then secretary of state for war and air, declared at the time: “I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes…[to] spread a lively terror.”

Behind the pretense that the cutthroats that rule the US and Europe are concerned about human rights and Syrian lives, the reality is that they are preparing bombings, the use of cruise missiles and Predator drones, as well as a potential ground invasion that will dramatically increase Syria’s death toll.

The motives underlying such a war have nothing to do with qualms about chemical weapons, but rather concern definite geostrategic interests.

“Syria and the changing Middle East energy map,” an article by Ruba Husari, a Middle East energy expert and editor of IraqOilForum.com, published earlier this year by the Carnegie Middle East Center, provides a glimpse into the real reasons for the mounting pressure for direct US-NATO intervention.

“Syria might not be a major oil or gas producer in the Middle East, but—depending on the outcome of the Syrian uprising—it may determine the shape of the future regional energy map,” she writes. “The country’s geographic location offers Mediterranean access to landlocked entities in search of markets for their hydrocarbons and to countries seeking access to Europe without having to go through Turkey. The opportunities presented to many in the region by the current Syrian regime could be lost in a post-crisis Syria. To others, new opportunities will emerge under a new Syrian regime.”

The principal losers in a successful war for regime change would be Iran, which recently signed a major pipeline deal—bitterly opposed by Washington—with Syria and Iraq that is ultimately aimed at bringing Iranian gas to the Mediterranean Sea, and Russia, which has sought to expand its own influence in energy development in the region.

The principal winners would be the US and its allies, together with the major US and Western European-based energy conglomerates.

Ultimately, the goal of US imperialism and its NATO allies in Syria is to isolate and prepare for a far larger war against Iran, with the aim of imposing neocolonial control over the vast energy-producing region stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Basin.

The real issue in this conflict is not the nature of the Syrian regime, but the nature of the regimes that rule the US, Britain, France and Germany, which are embarking on another predatory carve-up of the world like those that produced the First and Second World Wars."

And so it goes.

http://www.iraqoilforum.com/

http://www.iraqoilforum.com/?p=3087

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

Washington Fabricates Chemical Weapons Pretext For War Against Syria By Bill Van Auken

Syria and the Changing Middle East Energy Map-Carnegie Middle East Center - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

"But what gives the US the moral authority to proclaim “red lines” on this issue? In its nearly nine-year war in Iraq, the US military used chemical weapons to devastating effect. In its barbaric siege of Fallujah, it employed white phosphorus shells and an advanced form of napalm, both banned by international conventions, to burn men, women and children alive.

The legacy of these weapons continues to plague the Iraqi people—with huge increases in child leukemia and cancer, and an epidemic of nightmarish birth defects in Fallujah, Basra and other cities subjected to US military siege.

It should also be recalled that it was the British who introduced chemical warfare to the Middle East, dropping mustard gas bombs on Iraqi tribes that resisted British colonial rule. Winston Churchill, then secretary of state for war and air, declared at the time: “I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes…[to] spread a lively terror.”

Behind the pretense that the cutthroats that rule the US and Europe are concerned about human rights and Syrian lives, the reality is that they are preparing bombings, the use of cruise missiles and Predator drones, as well as a potential ground invasion that will dramatically increase Syria’s death toll.

The motives underlying such a war have nothing to do with qualms about chemical weapons, but rather concern definite geostrategic interests.

“Syria and the changing Middle East energy map,” an article by Ruba Husari, a Middle East energy expert and editor of IraqOilForum.com, published earlier this year by the Carnegie Middle East Center, provides a glimpse into the real reasons for the mounting pressure for direct US-NATO intervention.

“Syria might not be a major oil or gas producer in the Middle East, but—depending on the outcome of the Syrian uprising—it may determine the shape of the future regional energy map,” she writes. “The country’s geographic location offers Mediterranean access to landlocked entities in search of markets for their hydrocarbons and to countries seeking access to Europe without having to go through Turkey. The opportunities presented to many in the region by the current Syrian regime could be lost in a post-crisis Syria. To others, new opportunities will emerge under a new Syrian regime.”

The principal losers in a successful war for regime change would be Iran, which recently signed a major pipeline deal—bitterly opposed by Washington—with Syria and Iraq that is ultimately aimed at bringing Iranian gas to the Mediterranean Sea, and Russia, which has sought to expand its own influence in energy development in the region.

The principal winners would be the US and its allies, together with the major US and Western European-based energy conglomerates.

Ultimately, the goal of US imperialism and its NATO allies in Syria is to isolate and prepare for a far larger war against Iran, with the aim of imposing neocolonial control over the vast energy-producing region stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Basin.

The real issue in this conflict is not the nature of the Syrian regime, but the nature of the regimes that rule the US, Britain, France and Germany, which are embarking on another predatory carve-up of the world like those that produced the First and Second World Wars."

And so it goes.

http://www.iraqoilforum.com/

http://www.iraqoilforum.com/?p=3087

WOW! What a crock of shit! The author of this nonsense needs thorazine to quiet the voices in s/h/it's head.

 

[cvictorg]

WOW! What a crock of shit! The author of this nonsense needs thorazine to quiet the voices in s/h/it's head.

Please explain why you believe it's a "crock of shit"

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

Please explain why you believe it's a "crock of shit"

Where to begin?! The entire article is the commentary of someone so blinded by a burning hatred of the west, and in particular the US, they're on the verge of psychosis.

Let's start with:

In its barbaric siege of Fallujah, it employed white phosphorus shells and an advanced form of napalm, both banned by international conventions, to burn men, women and children alive.

To equate white phosphorus and napalm with "chemical weapons," which are considered weapons of mass destruction under the Geneva convention, is disengenous at best . At worst, it's a blatant attempt to misrepresent the facts. Hell, with the exception of biological and nuclear weapons, all modern weapons are "chemical" weapons, right down to a rifle round.

And for the author to give the impression that the US intentionally targeted "women and children" in Iraq like Basaad has done in Syria is outrageous.

The legacy of these weapons continues to plague the Iraqi people—with huge increases in child leukemia and cancer, and an epidemic of nightmarish birth defects in Fallujah, Basra and other cities subjected to US military siege.

No evidence to support this but it sure sounds good.

It should also be recalled that it was the British who introduced chemical warfare to the Middle East, dropping mustard gas bombs on Iraqi tribes that resisted British colonial rule. Winston Churchill, then secretary of state for war and air, declared at the time: “I am strongly in favor of using poisoned gas against uncivilized tribes…[to] spread a lively terror.”

Totally irrelevant to the purpose of the article and only serves to appeal to the reader's emotions.

Behind the pretense that the cutthroats that rule the US and Europe are concerned about human rights and Syrian lives, the reality is that they are preparing bombings, the use of cruise missiles and Predator drones, as well as a potential ground invasion that will dramatically increase Syria’s death toll.

"the cutthroats that rule the US and Europe" is inflammatory language meant to appeal to emotion rather than logic, but it clearly illustrates the author's contempt for western civilization.

To say the US is preparing bombings, the use of cruise missiles and Predator drones, as well as a potential ground invasion against Syria is wild speculation. There's no evidence suggesting this is being prepared and anybody that says they have evidence is a liar. I'm not suggesting it won't happen but it's certainly not guarenteed, especially with the current administration. Incidentally, I hope it doesn't.

The motives underlying such a war have nothing to do with qualms about chemical weapons, but rather concern definite geostrategic interests.

Maybe they do, maybe they don't. But if Bashar al-Assad falls, it will only result in the futher destabilization of the middle east and increase the chances of a greater war in the future. And, whatever government replaces him will be indifferent to the west in the best-case scenario, but more likely islamist. It would better serve the geostrategic interests of the US and its allies to keep Assad in power.

“Syria and the changing Middle East energy map,” an article by Ruba Husari, a Middle East energy expert and editor of IraqOilForum.com, published earlier this year by the Carnegie Middle East Center, provides a glimpse into the real reasons for the mounting pressure for direct US-NATO intervention.

“Syria might not be a major oil or gas producer in the Middle East, but—depending on the outcome of the Syrian uprising—it may determine the shape of the future regional energy map,” she writes. “The country’s geographic location offers Mediterranean access to landlocked entities in search of markets for their hydrocarbons and to countries seeking access to Europe without having to go through Turkey. The opportunities presented to many in the region by the current Syrian regime could be lost in a post-crisis Syria. To others, new opportunities will emerge under a new Syrian regime.”

The principal losers in a successful war for regime change would be Iran, which recently signed a major pipeline deal—bitterly opposed by Washington—with Syria and Iraq that is ultimately aimed at bringing Iranian gas to the Mediterranean Sea, and Russia, which has sought to expand its own influence in energy development in the region.

The principal winners would be the US and its allies, together with the major US and Western European-based energy conglomerates.

Unless the US can install a puppet government in Syria, which seems highly unlikely given the current political atmosphere that exists in the middle east - post "arab spring," I cannot see how the US could possibly benefit from regime change.

Ultimately, the goal of US imperialism and its NATO allies in Syria is to isolate and prepare for a far larger war against Iran, with the aim of imposing neocolonial control over the vast energy-producing region stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Basin.

Give me a break! If a war against Iran is the strategic goal, the US already gave up the best strategic advantage it could ever possibly achieve. It had Iran completely surrounded with hundreds of thousands of troops in place after the Afganistan and Iraq wars. Instead, the US left Iraq and has withdrawn significant forces from Afganistan. The US is in a far weaker position to launch a ground invasion of Iran than it was then, and now has a war-weary public to contend with. IMO, the only way the US is going to war with Iran now, is if an Israeli-Iranian conflict drags it in kicking and screaming.

The real issue in this conflict is not the nature of the Syrian regime, but the nature of the regimes that rule the US, Britain, France and Germany, which are embarking on another predatory carve-up of the world like those that produced the First and Second World Wars."

Does the author even know what year it is? Or even what century it is? Britain, France and Germany?! They couldn't carve-up a turkey without help from the US, and the US is broke. They're a shadow of their former colonial past. The days of western colonialism are long gone and they "ain't never coming back." The US learned that lesson in Iraq.

No, the real issue here is fanatical anti-American ramblings of a spoiled brat. Giving s/h/it publicity only encourages the delusions.

But the author can take solace in one thing; the west is in decline and the future belongs to the east. I hope he enjoys it.

 

[cvictorg]

Huge Rise in Iraq Birth Defects Linked to US Cluster Bombing

Epidemic of birth defects in Iraq and our duty as public health researchers - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

https://deeppoliticsforum.com/forum...s-of-Iraqi-Children-s-Rights-Under-Occupation

Birth Defects Reveal Weapons-Grade Enriched Uranium Used in Fallujah, Iraq - Salem-News.Com

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

References from biased websites and media sources don't count.



Confl Health. 2012; 6: 3.
Birth defects in Iraq and the plausibility of environmental exposure: A review
Tariq S Al-Hadithi,1 Jawad K Al-Diwan,2 Abubakir M Saleh,1 and Nazar P
Birth defects in Iraq and the plausibility of environmental exposure: A review

Abstract

An increased prevalence of birth defects was allegedly reported in Iraq in the post 1991 Gulf War period, which was largely attributed to exposure to depleted uranium used in the war. This has encouraged further research on this particular topic. This paper reviews the published literature and provided evidence concerning birth defects in Iraq to elucidate possible environmental exposure. In addition to published research, this review used some direct observation of birth defects data from Al-Ramadi Maternity and Paediatric Hospital in Al-Anbar Governorate in Iraq from1st July 2000 through 30th June 2002. In addition to depleted uranium other war-related environmental factors have been studied and linked directly or indirectly with the increasing prevalence of birth defects. However, the reviewed studies and the available research evidence do not provide a clear increase in birth defects and a clear indication of a possible environmental exposure including depleted uranium although the country has been facing several environmental challenges since 1980.


Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2012 Nov;89(5):937-44.
Metal contamination and the epidemic of congenital birth defects in Iraqi cities.
Al-Sabbak M, Sadik Ali S, Savabi O, Savabi G, Dastgiri S, Savabieasfahani M.
Metal contamination and the epid... [Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2012] - PubMed - NCBI


Abstract

Between October 1994 and October 1995, the number of birth defects per 1,000 live births in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital was 1.37. In 2003, the number of birth defects in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital was 23 per 1,000 live births. Within less than a decade, the occurrence of congenital birth defects increased by an astonishing 17-fold in the same hospital. A yearly account of the occurrence and types of birth defects, between 2003 and 2011, in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital, was reported. Metal levels in hair, toenail, and tooth samples of residents of Al Basrah were also provided. The enamel portion of the deciduous tooth from a child with birth defects from Al Basrah (4.19 ?g/g) had nearly three times higher lead than the whole teeth of children living in unimpacted areas. Lead was 1.4 times higher in the tooth enamel of parents of children with birth defects (2,497 ± 1,400 ?g/g, mean ± SD) compared to parents of normal children (1,826 ± 1,819 ?g/g). Our data suggested that birth defects in the Iraqi cities of Al Basrah (in the south of Iraq) and Fallujah (in central Iraq) are mainly folate-dependent. This knowledge offers possible treatment options and remediation plans for at-risk Iraqi populations.


Saudi Med J. 2010 Feb;31(2):163-9.
Neural tube defects among neonates delivered in Al-Ramadi Maternity and Children's Hospital, western Iraq.
Al-Ani ZR, Al-Hiali SJ, Al-Mehimdi SM.
Neural tube defects among neonates delivered in ... [Saudi Med J. 2010] - PubMed - NCBI

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To study the incidence, types, and sites of neural tube defects (NTDs) and its associated maternal and environmental variables.
METHODS:

All preterm and full term live and stillborn babies delivered at Al-Ramadi Maternity and Children's Hospital, Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq, from the 1st of November 2007 to the 1st of November 2008 were examined for gender, gestational age, NTDs, and associated congenital malformations. Mother's data included age, parity, consanguinity, education, antenatal care, previous medical illnesses, other NTDs history, folic acid supplementation, and diagnostic ultrasound. Incidence was calculated per 1000 births.
RESULTS:

During the study, 33 infants were delivered with NTDs, giving an incidence of 3.3/1000 births. Most were of myelomeningocele and anencephaly types, and thoracolumbar and lumbosacral sites. Two-thirds of the cases found were from consanguineous marriage, 12 NTD's mothers took folic acid during their pregnancy, while none of them received the drug during the periconceptional period. Three mothers had another NTD affected babies before, and mothers 25-34 years old produced most of the NTD deliveries than any other age groups.
CONCLUSION:

The NTDs incidence is still high compared with developed, and some developing countries. High consanguinity marriage and 100% lack of periconceptional folic acid intake needs further study considerations to reduce such morbid and mortal anomalies.


Saudi Med J. 2009 Oct;30(10):1296-300.
Perinatal mortality rate in Al-Ramadi Maternity and Children's Hospital, western Iraq. Al-Ani ZR, Al-Hiali SJ, Al-Mashhadani WS.
Perinatal mortality rate in Al-Ramadi Maternity ... [Saudi Med J. 2009] - PubMed - NCBI

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To estimate the perinatal mortality rate (PMR) in Al-Ramadi city, Iraq, and study its associated causative factors following the 2003 Coalition Forces occupation of Iraq.
METHODS:

All the hospital stillbirth, and early neonatal death deliveries at the Al-Ramadi Maternity and Children's Hospital, Al-Anbar Governorate, western Iraq, from 15th June to 15th December 2005 were included in the study. Data collected for the mother includes: age, residence, parity, plurality, mode of delivery, medical and obstetrical history, antenatal care (ANC), and previous perinatal death. For dead babies: gestational age, gender, birth weight, and Apgar scores were also collected.
RESULTS:

The total studied deliveries were 3,249 births. The perinatal mortalities were 125 (43 stillbirths, and 82 neonatal deaths), giving an overall PMR of (38.5/1000). Males showed higher PMR (45.9/1000) than females (29.1/1000). Low birth weight babies among live births were 939 (29.2%), and were of higher (95.8/1000) PMR than normal (15.1/1000) weight births. Significant association was found between the gestational age, Apgar score, maternal age, residence, previous medical history, previous perinatal death, and plurality with the PMR. While no association was found between the mode of delivery, parity, ANC, and PMR.
CONCLUSION:

This study showed lower rates than some Iraqi studies applied before 2003, but still was of higher PMR when compared with the rates of most neighboring Arab and other developed countries.

 

[Kamala]

Just for what its worth....... If international conventions ban the use of White Phosperous, Cluster Bombs and Napalm and we decide to use them anyway because it is to our benefit..... then where do we draw the line? Is it that we decide what international conventions to abide by, at our convienience, and ignore all others?

I really don't get the big deal if some dictator like Assad decides to gas muslim radicals trying to take over. To me, death is death........ Doesn't really matter if its by gas, gun or beheading, the end result is all the same.
Is gassing someone really worse than cutting their head off with a rusty knife? If Muslim terrorists were in control of vast regions here, would our Government use chemical weapons to save us from Sharia law?

I dunno, every time I see John McCain on TV bitching about the USA not getting involved I wish someone would kick him in his geriatric nuts. What possible positive outcome will come from aiding Muslim Radicals trying to overthrow Assad? He loves to complain, but doesn't like to talk about who the "rebels" really are and what they represent.
I used to have a ton of respect for the guy, not anymore.


Just making some converstaion here guys, hope nobody takes anything from this other than that. Go ahead, chop me up lol.

 

[CensoredBoardsSuck]

Just for what its worth....... If international conventions ban the use of White Phosperous, Cluster Bombs and Napalm and we decide to use them anyway because it is to our benefit..... then where do we draw the line? Is it that we decide what international conventions to abide by, at our convienience, and ignore all others?

You make a good point. It's been easy to place restrictions on what weapons are exceptable to use in the "limited" wars that have been fought by the great powers since WWII, but any nation engaged in a military conflict that treatens its existence will have no such restraints. History has shown nations will deploy whatever weapon they have at their disposal before excepting defeat, banned or not.

I dunno, every time I see John McCain on TV bitching about the USA not getting involved I wish someone would kick him in his geriatric nuts. What possible positive outcome will come from aiding Muslim Radicals trying to overthrow Assad? He loves to complain, but doesn't like to talk about who the "rebels" really are and what they represent.

Yes, I think this is a good example of the old adage, "be careful what you wish for."

Just making some converstaion here guys, hope nobody takes anything from this other than that. Go ahead, chop me up lol.

It's too late, you're in it now!

 

[zkt]

Seems like reasonable positions to me- except forthe part of once having a great deal of respect for McCain.

 

[Kamala]

Seems like reasonable positions to me- except forthe part of once having a great deal of respect for McCain.

Its going way back....... The guy was a POW in Nam and refused release. The Communists were going to use it as propaganda because his Father was an admiral. The guy still can't raise his arms over his head from that experience. He was also on the Forrestal when it blew up..... The video's of that are incredible.

All I see in the guy now is someone trying to score points with people who don't grasp the scope of the situation.

 

[nuncaquite]

Time to bump this one back to the top.....Benghazi, IRS, API and probably more to come......Yeah, its time to put "boots on the ground" as a diversion. We must free another nut house from its keeper.