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Vol. 80/No. 39 October 17, 2016
(front page)
US imperialism faces quandary as bombing in Syria escalates
BY NAOMI CRAINE
As Moscow and Damascus step up indiscriminate bombing of Aleppo, U.S.
officials Oct. 3 formally suspended negotiations with the Russian
government on relaunching a truce in the civil war in Syria. Reaching a
deal with Moscow has been the central focus of Washington’s policy for
months. The break, like the policy itself, reflects the weakness of U.S.
imperialism’s position in the region, and has sharpened debate within
the U.S. ruling class over how to proceed.
Meanwhile, the horrific toll on Syrian workers and farmers continues to
mount, as fighting escalates and all of the capitalist powers
intervening in Syria — from Washington and Moscow to the governments of
Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia — cold-bloodedly maneuver to advance their
own interests.
A recording of a Sept. 22 meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry
and civilian opponents of the Bashar al-Assad regime points to the
contradictions facing Washington.
The New York Times released excerpts in which Kerry complains that he’s
one of “three people, four people in the administration who have all
argued for use of force” in Syria. “I lost the argument.”
Kerry points out the political limits to Washington using its massive
military force in Syria. “We’ve been fighting in the region for 14
years,” he says. “A lot of Americans don’t believe that we should be
fighting and sending young Americans over to die in another country.
That’s the problem.”
The breakdown in talks “has revived an internal discussion over giving
U.S.-vetted Syrian rebels new weapons systems,” the Wall Street Journal
said Oct. 4. Or, “Washington could give a green light to partners in the
region, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, to provide the rebels with
more weapons,” it added.
At the same time, Kerry said in Brussels Oct. 4 that the administration
“held out the possibility of once again working with Moscow.” He said
Washington was pursuing talks through the International Syria Support
Group, which includes Moscow.
The Assad regime and allied forces — including Moscow’s warplanes,
Iranian troops, Lebanese Hezbollah forces and Iraqi Shiite militias —
have intensified their murderous offensive against government opponents
in the eastern half of the city of Aleppo.
Targets of their bombing include hospitals, markets and residential
areas. The M10 hospital in eastern Aleppo was completely destroyed Oct.
3 when it was bombed for the third time in six days.
The day before, another hospital that was built inside a cave was forced
to close after being struck by “bunker-buster” bombs in an
opposition-held part of the Hama region, south of Aleppo.
Part of the cease-fire deal that collapsed last month was that
Washington and Moscow would coordinate attacks on Islamic State and
Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, until recently known as the Nusra Front and
affiliated with al-Qaeda. But many of the opposition groups that
Washington backs in Syria fight alongside Fatah al-Sham, and are
increasingly driven to do so as they face the government offensive in
Aleppo.
Washington’s policy is built on its inability to use its imperialist
army in Syria. They instead press Moscow for a deal. Their unending wars
in Afghanistan and Iraq have rendered U.S. imperialism weaker.
Ankara seeks greater role in war
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing ahead with plans to
take control of a 1,930-square-mile “security zone” in northern Syria.
Turkish troops and militias from the Free Syrian Army, backed by U.S.
airstrikes, launched an offensive Oct. 2 on the town of Dabiq, held by
Islamic State.
From the outset, the Turkish government has made clear its “Operation
Euphrates” is aimed not only against Islamic State, but above all at
preventing the Syrian Kurds from connecting the autonomous cantons that
they’ve gained control of in northern Syria.
Erdogan has also sought to improve relations with Moscow, a move that
would give Ankara more leverage with Washington. He is meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin Oct. 10 in Istanbul.
Washington has sought to balance its relations with Ankara, a NATO
member, and with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which it
counts on in combating Islamic State in Syria.
The Turkish parliament approved a one-year renewal of the government’s
mandate to deploy troops in Iraq and Syria Oct. 1. This comes as
Washington, Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in
northern Iraq prepare to launch a long-discussed offensive to drive
Islamic State out of Mosul.
The Iraqi parliament voted Oct. 4 to reject extending permission for
Turkey’s 2,000 troops to remain in northern Iraq, some just nine miles
northeast of Mosul. While Ankara’s main goal there is to target forces
of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Erdogan has also raised
participating in the assault on Mosul alongside Sunni militias his
troops have trained. “We will play a role in the Mosul liberation
operation and no one can prevent us from participating,” he said Oct. 1.
“I fear the Turkish adventure could turn into a regional war,” Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi told Iraqi state TV Oct. 5.
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