This is a translation of an article that was published on Al-Akhbar. The translators (Ghassan and Intibah) do not agree with all points raised by the author; especially his reference to the silence of Western public opinion to the acts of t...heir governments over the last 30 years. This is unfair to say the least, but when translating, it is important to stick to the original text.
A Single Missile Opens the Gates of Hell
By Ibrahim Al Amin
Published in Al Akhbar 2 Sept 2013
(Translated)
A few minutes after President Obama declared his renewed intention to wage a limited military strike on Syria, but was waiting for the approval from Congress, high ranking security and military officials all over the West breathed a sigh of relief. They observed that the White House officials had advised their President that he needed to take two steps backwards and that he could refuse the assistance of the Russians and the other side and to go to Congress which will offer him the ladder that would allow him to climb down that tree he had perched himself in.
But, those people neither gave much attention to the reports of the various international diplomats or the international media. They knew, however, that they have gone through the worst three days since the fall of the USSR and the Warsaw Treaty.
Shortly before the joint Israeli and Saudi intelligence operation in which chemical weapons in East Ghouta were used, the Americans and the Europeans were all present, negotiating a political settlement with the Russians and the Iranians from the position of admitting failure in forcefully toppling the Syrian regime. But they had one specific demand: Bashar had to be pushed aside. Their negotiations reached the extent of offering the Russians that Assad himself chooses his heir to lead the side that he represents and that this person would run for the next Presidential elections.
The Russians examined the matter from different angles and conducted intensive negotiations with the Iranian leadership, and they went back to the West saying this matter is not negotiable. At that time the West told them that this response meant prolonging the conflict and lifting the ceiling for the armed groups and supplying them with state-of-the-art military hardware, a flood of funds and the establishment of special military training camps. The “Saudi Kid” frolicked gleefully because he was given an important role in this mission. This signalled reorganizing the different fighting brigades within the Syrian opposition including allowing a cover for a serious communication channel between the men of Bandar and Al Qaida (“Al Nusra” and the “State of Islam in Iraq and Shams”)
The objective was to provide preparedness that allows waging a strong blow to the regime in Damascus, both south and north of the capital, to steadfastly escalate a bloodbath against Hizbollah in Lebanon and to intensify the process of bribing Syrian army officers to defect.
But,the other axis was not only aware of this but also had its own security and military plans to protect the joint recent achievements of the Syrian Army and Hizbollah in more than one region of Syria. This involved broadening the circle of protection around the capital of Damascus and also in certain other areas in the middle of Syria and also the coastal region. This came to fruition through a number of operations dubbed “The Capital Shield”, which started on the 20th of August in the southern and eastern Damascus province.
After the rebels failure in the Lattakia region, the rebels and their supporters realised that the only way to generate a qualitative change to their favour was to resort to elements outside the battleground and, there came their potion by way of providing the right justification to launch an international campaign that can be crowned by a military operation against the regime in Syria. The Israeli intelligence provided the support for Bandar’s men to execute the chemical attack in Ghouta. In less than an hour after the information machine started its campaigned, followed by the political and then the diplomatic, to prepare the ground for the highest order of foreign military intervention in Syria by way of launching a military operation, headed by the United States including a number of European countries as well as Turkey and some Arab States.
When the Americans approved the plans, they were working on the premise that their world hegemony allows them to reap the benefits even before getting on with the task. As soon as their rhetoric for preparing the attack began, envoys were sent to Tehran and Moscow. Their message was brief, lower your political bar now or we shall take it from you after serving the Assad regime a very painful blow.
In the first round of negotiations the Americans were surprised by the icy reaction of the Russians and an unabashed Iranian response albeit rather a quiet one. The gist of both positions was that both Russia and Iran did not see any reason that compelled them to offer any concessions on the Syrian file. This decision came concurrently with Assad’s proclamation to all of his allies that he too is not prepared to offer any concessions and that he decided on the side of confrontation.
In the second round, the Americans lifted their warmongering strategies. They started to send troops and launched the biggest operation of warship manoeuvres, and they strengthened their positions and airbases in the vicinity around Syria. This coincided with intensifying the psychological pressure using intelligence reports, media and the entire diplomatic apparatus. The Americans told the Russians and Iranians that the decision to launch a military operation was serious and not just a scare tactic.
Once again, the response was more disappointing for the American side. The Russians said that they did not believe a military operation would be able to create any beneficial change to the facts, and they warned the Americans that any American assault would turn the table above the heads of everyone. Iran, on the other hand, refused discussing what the West calls “punishing and disciplining Assad”. Tehran told the envoys that any attack on Syria means opening up a huge battlefield and many new theatres.
As the Americans, Europeans and some countries in the region were working on intensifying the military machine, Israel resorted to a level of defensive-offensive deployment, to stay on track with the assault, either to reap the benefits, or to be ready in case the confrontation arena expands. Tel Aviv however, was less concerned about the possibility of a confrontation, because the Americans said they told Syria and Iran that the objective of the military operation was to change the balance so that they could go to negotiations on a new basis.
During the last four days, the West escalated its preparedness. Information was leaked about the necessary targets to hit, the scope of the operation and the readiness of the armed rebels to launch a large scale attack alongside the American attack. At that moment, in an unprecedented move, what surfaced was an operational HQ that is political, diplomatic, military and security-based that stretches all the way from Moscow to Tehran, to Damascus and, to the Southern Dahiyye of Beirut. It was obvious for all that the objective of the Western strike is to topple the regime or to facilitate the process and, in either case, this signified serious warnings which meant that this axis needed to work diligently and strongly to prevent the assault from achieving its target. Based on this directive, a full alert was declared. Russia gave orders to its military which is across the Syrian coast, to be prepared for serious combat. Iran declared full-alert for its marine force, missiles and airforce. The Syrian Army deployed special platoons that are not currently taking any part in the current conflict on the ground. Hizbollah established an operational HQ which culminated in putting its entire assortment of missile power in an unprecedented state of readiness. This coincided with the call of the Islamic resistance to all its members to report to their command. The most prominent of all moves was the activation of the missile power in the entire region.
As the state of readiness was completed and, as Americans insisted to strike, even in a token way, the Resistance axis, with the knowledge of Russia, found itself compelled to reveal certain “things” on the ground and at sea and in more than one area that is considered “critical to the Americans”. This was done in conjunction with a clear and brief message to the Americans: there is no such thing as a limited or tokenistic strike. Any missile that crosses the Syrian skies will mean the beginning of a wide-scale war in which there is a great level of preparedness on our part, to the degree of insanity.
All parties had to find ways to contain the situation. In Europe there is the experience of an old house now called Britain, from which the magic potion came to salvage David Cameron in the House of Commons which found an easy way out for him in so he doesn’t appear to be acting cowardly vis-a-vis his American Ally. He still insists that the assault is necessary and he defends it but, his hands are tied in a way that prevents him from taking this venture. As the reluctant snow balls keep rolling down, and with the concerns of matters rolling and sliding out of control, the American administration had to find an interim way out by delaying the attack, allowing enough time to take into account the latest developments before a final decision was made. Every time the “free world” manages to pull out a trick and, this time it woke up to the importance of listening to the public, the public opinion that has never stood against the madness of the last 30 years.
In a matter of minutes, the American President had to very reluctantly display modesty, declaring that he cannot unilaterally decide the destiny of the world and he threw the ball into the playground of those around him.
Today the practical meaning of an at least ten year old slogan which says that “America is powerful but it is not fateful” has become self-evident. Today a door has opened that heralds a new world balance. It is true to say that it is important to look out for the direct implications for this on the Syrian conflict, it is however also true to say that there is now in existence an observer as a result of the scandalous actions of current world leadership.
As for Obama, who has given himself a leave for a few days or hours or weeks, he no longer possesses the luxury of manoeuvres; he either has to back off and go towards a settlement, or to take a gamble and get into an expansive and far-reaching war that he cannot claim he has the power to control its outcome.
In the last scene are images of the United States’ boys in our region. They are a bunch of Arab traitors who have just filled their pockets with dirty money, declaring from Cairo that they condone the attack. At the same time, from a short distance, the Azhar was proclaiming that attacking Syria is tantamount to an assault on the Arab and Islamic nations. At the bottom of this image there stands a thrill-seeker, a hypocrite, a hateful, vile fiend, facing his destiny. He represents the looters of the Arab Peninsula who want to push events towards an all-out war but, what they have missed, is that they are going to witness a new chapter in confronting Arabic justice.
http://al-akhbar.com/node/190099
A Single Missile Opens the Gates of Hell
By Ibrahim Al Amin
Published in Al Akhbar 2 Sept 2013
(Translated)
A few minutes after President Obama declared his renewed intention to wage a limited military strike on Syria, but was waiting for the approval from Congress, high ranking security and military officials all over the West breathed a sigh of relief. They observed that the White House officials had advised their President that he needed to take two steps backwards and that he could refuse the assistance of the Russians and the other side and to go to Congress which will offer him the ladder that would allow him to climb down that tree he had perched himself in.
But, those people neither gave much attention to the reports of the various international diplomats or the international media. They knew, however, that they have gone through the worst three days since the fall of the USSR and the Warsaw Treaty.
Shortly before the joint Israeli and Saudi intelligence operation in which chemical weapons in East Ghouta were used, the Americans and the Europeans were all present, negotiating a political settlement with the Russians and the Iranians from the position of admitting failure in forcefully toppling the Syrian regime. But they had one specific demand: Bashar had to be pushed aside. Their negotiations reached the extent of offering the Russians that Assad himself chooses his heir to lead the side that he represents and that this person would run for the next Presidential elections.
The Russians examined the matter from different angles and conducted intensive negotiations with the Iranian leadership, and they went back to the West saying this matter is not negotiable. At that time the West told them that this response meant prolonging the conflict and lifting the ceiling for the armed groups and supplying them with state-of-the-art military hardware, a flood of funds and the establishment of special military training camps. The “Saudi Kid” frolicked gleefully because he was given an important role in this mission. This signalled reorganizing the different fighting brigades within the Syrian opposition including allowing a cover for a serious communication channel between the men of Bandar and Al Qaida (“Al Nusra” and the “State of Islam in Iraq and Shams”)
The objective was to provide preparedness that allows waging a strong blow to the regime in Damascus, both south and north of the capital, to steadfastly escalate a bloodbath against Hizbollah in Lebanon and to intensify the process of bribing Syrian army officers to defect.
But,the other axis was not only aware of this but also had its own security and military plans to protect the joint recent achievements of the Syrian Army and Hizbollah in more than one region of Syria. This involved broadening the circle of protection around the capital of Damascus and also in certain other areas in the middle of Syria and also the coastal region. This came to fruition through a number of operations dubbed “The Capital Shield”, which started on the 20th of August in the southern and eastern Damascus province.
After the rebels failure in the Lattakia region, the rebels and their supporters realised that the only way to generate a qualitative change to their favour was to resort to elements outside the battleground and, there came their potion by way of providing the right justification to launch an international campaign that can be crowned by a military operation against the regime in Syria. The Israeli intelligence provided the support for Bandar’s men to execute the chemical attack in Ghouta. In less than an hour after the information machine started its campaigned, followed by the political and then the diplomatic, to prepare the ground for the highest order of foreign military intervention in Syria by way of launching a military operation, headed by the United States including a number of European countries as well as Turkey and some Arab States.
When the Americans approved the plans, they were working on the premise that their world hegemony allows them to reap the benefits even before getting on with the task. As soon as their rhetoric for preparing the attack began, envoys were sent to Tehran and Moscow. Their message was brief, lower your political bar now or we shall take it from you after serving the Assad regime a very painful blow.
In the first round of negotiations the Americans were surprised by the icy reaction of the Russians and an unabashed Iranian response albeit rather a quiet one. The gist of both positions was that both Russia and Iran did not see any reason that compelled them to offer any concessions on the Syrian file. This decision came concurrently with Assad’s proclamation to all of his allies that he too is not prepared to offer any concessions and that he decided on the side of confrontation.
In the second round, the Americans lifted their warmongering strategies. They started to send troops and launched the biggest operation of warship manoeuvres, and they strengthened their positions and airbases in the vicinity around Syria. This coincided with intensifying the psychological pressure using intelligence reports, media and the entire diplomatic apparatus. The Americans told the Russians and Iranians that the decision to launch a military operation was serious and not just a scare tactic.
Once again, the response was more disappointing for the American side. The Russians said that they did not believe a military operation would be able to create any beneficial change to the facts, and they warned the Americans that any American assault would turn the table above the heads of everyone. Iran, on the other hand, refused discussing what the West calls “punishing and disciplining Assad”. Tehran told the envoys that any attack on Syria means opening up a huge battlefield and many new theatres.
As the Americans, Europeans and some countries in the region were working on intensifying the military machine, Israel resorted to a level of defensive-offensive deployment, to stay on track with the assault, either to reap the benefits, or to be ready in case the confrontation arena expands. Tel Aviv however, was less concerned about the possibility of a confrontation, because the Americans said they told Syria and Iran that the objective of the military operation was to change the balance so that they could go to negotiations on a new basis.
During the last four days, the West escalated its preparedness. Information was leaked about the necessary targets to hit, the scope of the operation and the readiness of the armed rebels to launch a large scale attack alongside the American attack. At that moment, in an unprecedented move, what surfaced was an operational HQ that is political, diplomatic, military and security-based that stretches all the way from Moscow to Tehran, to Damascus and, to the Southern Dahiyye of Beirut. It was obvious for all that the objective of the Western strike is to topple the regime or to facilitate the process and, in either case, this signified serious warnings which meant that this axis needed to work diligently and strongly to prevent the assault from achieving its target. Based on this directive, a full alert was declared. Russia gave orders to its military which is across the Syrian coast, to be prepared for serious combat. Iran declared full-alert for its marine force, missiles and airforce. The Syrian Army deployed special platoons that are not currently taking any part in the current conflict on the ground. Hizbollah established an operational HQ which culminated in putting its entire assortment of missile power in an unprecedented state of readiness. This coincided with the call of the Islamic resistance to all its members to report to their command. The most prominent of all moves was the activation of the missile power in the entire region.
As the state of readiness was completed and, as Americans insisted to strike, even in a token way, the Resistance axis, with the knowledge of Russia, found itself compelled to reveal certain “things” on the ground and at sea and in more than one area that is considered “critical to the Americans”. This was done in conjunction with a clear and brief message to the Americans: there is no such thing as a limited or tokenistic strike. Any missile that crosses the Syrian skies will mean the beginning of a wide-scale war in which there is a great level of preparedness on our part, to the degree of insanity.
All parties had to find ways to contain the situation. In Europe there is the experience of an old house now called Britain, from which the magic potion came to salvage David Cameron in the House of Commons which found an easy way out for him in so he doesn’t appear to be acting cowardly vis-a-vis his American Ally. He still insists that the assault is necessary and he defends it but, his hands are tied in a way that prevents him from taking this venture. As the reluctant snow balls keep rolling down, and with the concerns of matters rolling and sliding out of control, the American administration had to find an interim way out by delaying the attack, allowing enough time to take into account the latest developments before a final decision was made. Every time the “free world” manages to pull out a trick and, this time it woke up to the importance of listening to the public, the public opinion that has never stood against the madness of the last 30 years.
In a matter of minutes, the American President had to very reluctantly display modesty, declaring that he cannot unilaterally decide the destiny of the world and he threw the ball into the playground of those around him.
Today the practical meaning of an at least ten year old slogan which says that “America is powerful but it is not fateful” has become self-evident. Today a door has opened that heralds a new world balance. It is true to say that it is important to look out for the direct implications for this on the Syrian conflict, it is however also true to say that there is now in existence an observer as a result of the scandalous actions of current world leadership.
As for Obama, who has given himself a leave for a few days or hours or weeks, he no longer possesses the luxury of manoeuvres; he either has to back off and go towards a settlement, or to take a gamble and get into an expansive and far-reaching war that he cannot claim he has the power to control its outcome.
In the last scene are images of the United States’ boys in our region. They are a bunch of Arab traitors who have just filled their pockets with dirty money, declaring from Cairo that they condone the attack. At the same time, from a short distance, the Azhar was proclaiming that attacking Syria is tantamount to an assault on the Arab and Islamic nations. At the bottom of this image there stands a thrill-seeker, a hypocrite, a hateful, vile fiend, facing his destiny. He represents the looters of the Arab Peninsula who want to push events towards an all-out war but, what they have missed, is that they are going to witness a new chapter in confronting Arabic justice.
http://al-akhbar.com/node/190099
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