CIA-armed militants in Syria will eventually turn against US: Sara Flounders
PressTV -
The United States government assists militants across the world, only to one day fight against them, a prominent political activist tells Press TV.
In the background to this, Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011, with the Syrian government and experts saying an anti-Syria plot was hatched by the US, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Sara Flounders, co-director of the International Action Center, from New York, to further discuss the issue. Flounders is joined by Scott Rickard, a former US intelligence linguist from Florida, and George Lambraski, a former US diplomat, from London. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: One of the consequences, Sara Flounders, if you can tell us, so much so that the British foreign secretary has actually come out saying they might not pose a threat to us when they first go to Syria but if they survive some may return, ideologically, hardened - this about these people with passports from Europe. Has Syria become al-Qaeda’s new base for terror attacks in Europe?
Flounders: It is important to recognize that these forces are overwhelmingly armed and orchestrated, equipped militarily by US and European forces, by outside imperialist forces who are determined to overthrow the government of Syria.
It will have the same impact that it had in Libya, where you had President Obama talking today about Libya forming an unusual and extraordinary threat to US security because the very forces that they armed have their own agenda and turn against them.
It’s also important to recognize that when you totally destroy a country, lay waste to it such as happened in Libya and also such as happened in US wars in Iraq, in Afghanistan, that the whole population hates US intervention.
That is overwhelmingly true in Syria today. There is a real resistance to the “Free Syrian Army” and to the US, Turkish and NATO orchestrated forces that are coming from the outside.
Overwhelmingly, these are death squads, mercenaries that are coming from outside the country into Syria in an effort to just lay waste to the whole country, do as much damage as they can in city after city, destroying the infrastructure everywhere they can and targeting government officials.
It’s a policy that once again - it even works against US strategic interests and that is the interesting part of it also because while they think and they have been able in some countries in the past to overturn the governments, they have not been able to secure any stability.
It’s short-term, big profits for the military corporations, but in terms of the lives of the people, it’s hell, a total chaos. As I say, the forces that they arm have their own agenda and in turn will be used against US interests also.
Press TV: [In response to George Lambraski’s remarks that the US is not supporting militant groups in Syria] Let’s give our guest there in New York an opportunity. She is an American and she does have an American accent. Go ahead.
Flounders: It’s beyond dispute that the US is playing a very big role in Syria and they certainly did with non-stop seven months of bombing in Libya. That’s beyond question.
Turkey is a NATO member and the safe havens and bases for the Free Syrian Army are in Turkey - a NATO member equipped and supplied by the United States.
These mercenary forces, these death squad forces are absolutely paid not only by the US - by the CIA, by all sorts of secret agencies - but also very openly by Saudi Arabia and Qatar who operate with US interests at stake. There is nothing democratic in any of these forces. They have absolutely no political agenda whatsoever.
The Syrian government, President Assad, again and again has said he’s more than open to a negotiated settlement, has met with democratic forces within Syria. This is absolutely beyond dispute.
It has been covered again and again in the US press and in the British press, just how extensive the US, British and French intervention in Syria is today.
Not only with the arming but with the sanctions against Syria are meant to create enormous destabilization, inflation, the shut off of all trade, credits and the ability to receive any kind of material inside of Syria is conscious destabilization and it comes entirely from the West, and not in support of democracy. This is important to recognize.
It’s important to recognize that Syria and Libya were both stable governments with very high level of education, of literacy, of healthcare. Libya had the highest life expectancy, the most prosperous country in Africa, and also stood for the economic independence of Africa.
The overthrow of Libya has created total chaos and destruction of the country as a whole and also those very forces that the US-armed operate now in a much wider arena. The impact of these US wars is the destabilization of the countries themselves and surrounding countries.
Press TV: Why does the West seem to think having terrorists engage in fighting is better than using diplomacy?
Flounders: Again and again, the US chooses a military solution and it’s destructive to the entire country. It’s even devastating for US interests as we’ve seen in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and as we’re seeing in Syria today.
It won’t succeed. It will create, even as Obama said, an unstable extraordinary threat for US interests, US security. That is a down side of it that even is recognized in Washington today.
Really, it’s criminal wars supported one time after another against countries that formerly had high levels of stability, healthcare, education. That is what is criminal about this policy.
Source http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/16/289251/usarmed-militants-will-turn-against-us/
The United States government assists militants across the world, only to one day fight against them, a prominent political activist tells Press TV.
In the background to this, Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011, with the Syrian government and experts saying an anti-Syria plot was hatched by the US, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Sara Flounders, co-director of the International Action Center, from New York, to further discuss the issue. Flounders is joined by Scott Rickard, a former US intelligence linguist from Florida, and George Lambraski, a former US diplomat, from London. The following is a rough transcription of the interview.
Press TV: One of the consequences, Sara Flounders, if you can tell us, so much so that the British foreign secretary has actually come out saying they might not pose a threat to us when they first go to Syria but if they survive some may return, ideologically, hardened - this about these people with passports from Europe. Has Syria become al-Qaeda’s new base for terror attacks in Europe?
Flounders: It is important to recognize that these forces are overwhelmingly armed and orchestrated, equipped militarily by US and European forces, by outside imperialist forces who are determined to overthrow the government of Syria.
It will have the same impact that it had in Libya, where you had President Obama talking today about Libya forming an unusual and extraordinary threat to US security because the very forces that they armed have their own agenda and turn against them.
It’s also important to recognize that when you totally destroy a country, lay waste to it such as happened in Libya and also such as happened in US wars in Iraq, in Afghanistan, that the whole population hates US intervention.
That is overwhelmingly true in Syria today. There is a real resistance to the “Free Syrian Army” and to the US, Turkish and NATO orchestrated forces that are coming from the outside.
Overwhelmingly, these are death squads, mercenaries that are coming from outside the country into Syria in an effort to just lay waste to the whole country, do as much damage as they can in city after city, destroying the infrastructure everywhere they can and targeting government officials.
It’s a policy that once again - it even works against US strategic interests and that is the interesting part of it also because while they think and they have been able in some countries in the past to overturn the governments, they have not been able to secure any stability.
It’s short-term, big profits for the military corporations, but in terms of the lives of the people, it’s hell, a total chaos. As I say, the forces that they arm have their own agenda and in turn will be used against US interests also.
Press TV: [In response to George Lambraski’s remarks that the US is not supporting militant groups in Syria] Let’s give our guest there in New York an opportunity. She is an American and she does have an American accent. Go ahead.
Flounders: It’s beyond dispute that the US is playing a very big role in Syria and they certainly did with non-stop seven months of bombing in Libya. That’s beyond question.
Turkey is a NATO member and the safe havens and bases for the Free Syrian Army are in Turkey - a NATO member equipped and supplied by the United States.
These mercenary forces, these death squad forces are absolutely paid not only by the US - by the CIA, by all sorts of secret agencies - but also very openly by Saudi Arabia and Qatar who operate with US interests at stake. There is nothing democratic in any of these forces. They have absolutely no political agenda whatsoever.
The Syrian government, President Assad, again and again has said he’s more than open to a negotiated settlement, has met with democratic forces within Syria. This is absolutely beyond dispute.
It has been covered again and again in the US press and in the British press, just how extensive the US, British and French intervention in Syria is today.
Not only with the arming but with the sanctions against Syria are meant to create enormous destabilization, inflation, the shut off of all trade, credits and the ability to receive any kind of material inside of Syria is conscious destabilization and it comes entirely from the West, and not in support of democracy. This is important to recognize.
It’s important to recognize that Syria and Libya were both stable governments with very high level of education, of literacy, of healthcare. Libya had the highest life expectancy, the most prosperous country in Africa, and also stood for the economic independence of Africa.
The overthrow of Libya has created total chaos and destruction of the country as a whole and also those very forces that the US-armed operate now in a much wider arena. The impact of these US wars is the destabilization of the countries themselves and surrounding countries.
Press TV: Why does the West seem to think having terrorists engage in fighting is better than using diplomacy?
Flounders: Again and again, the US chooses a military solution and it’s destructive to the entire country. It’s even devastating for US interests as we’ve seen in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and as we’re seeing in Syria today.
It won’t succeed. It will create, even as Obama said, an unstable extraordinary threat for US interests, US security. That is a down side of it that even is recognized in Washington today.
Really, it’s criminal wars supported one time after another against countries that formerly had high levels of stability, healthcare, education. That is what is criminal about this policy.
Source http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/16/289251/usarmed-militants-will-turn-against-us/
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