2 War on Syria: Gateway to WWIII Tony Cartalucci Nile Bowie 2012 War on Syria: Gateway to WWIII Copyright Tony Cartalucci & Nile Bowie 2012 All rights reserved November 2012 Table of Contents Author’s Note ........................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 1: The Architecture of Insurgency ....................................................................6 Chapter 2: Perception Management and Psychological Warfare................................................15 Chapter 3: The Prospect of Regional War ....................................................................21 Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 30 Author’s Note Thank you for reading “War on Syria: Gateway to WWIII.” Your interest and attention is highly appreciated by the authors of this book. The purpose of this document is to provide an accurate historical record of the conflict in Syria. This was a challenging task, namely because I was approached to create this project while the conflict was still ongoing. The individuals involved in this project found it necessary to compile our various articles and conclusions into one definitive product and, because the fighting in Syria has not ceased, it is necessary to produce expanded editions in the future. This book is based on the articles and research of Tony Cartalucci, an independent journalist and editor of Land Destroyer Report based in Bangkok, Thailand. My role in this book was to expand these articles and compile them into a coherent narrative, a difficult task for any writer. Inevitably, much of my research appears within these pages to give readers the most in-depth, formulated, and critical account of events in Syria we can offer. After compiling the chapters, Eric Draitser, a New York City-based journalist and editor of StopImperialism.com, contributed by editing and proofreading the text. I worked for three months out of my apartment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to produce this document. The authors of this book hope that this project encourages others to forge ties with like-minded people from around the world, and constructively collaborate to bring attention to compelling issues and injustices. This book isn’t exactly bedside reading, but it inevitably contains very important analysis and information that needs to be more broadly exposed. It is written in such a way that may initially confuse readers who are unfamiliar with the names, locations, and events we cite. Our best efforts have been made to make this information as accessible and well defined as possible. Opponents and critics of this information will dismiss our research and conclusions, and familiarly brand us “conspiracy theorists” or apologists of the Syrian government. The makers of this book do not endorse any political party or organization, nor do we receive funding for this work from anyone. These conclusions are our own, and ultimately, we believe in the primacy of national sovereignty, respect for international law, and the right of the Syrian people to decide their own political future without such a future being imposed on them. Once again, thank you for reading this book and we hope this information improves your understanding of the situation. This work is dedicated to those innocents who suffered untimely deaths in Syria and elsewhere. Nile Bowie August 24, 2012 Chapter 1: The Architecture of Insurgency “There is another type of warfare—new in its intensity, ancient in its origin—war by guerrillas, subversives, insurgents, assassins; war by ambush instead of by combat, by infiltration instead of aggression, seeking victory by eroding and exhausting the enemy instead of engaging him. It preys on unrest.” John F. Kennedy 35th President of the United States Several months of political turmoil in Tunisia triggered the series of events referred to as the “Arab Spring,” which then engulfed several countries in North Africa. Among those who took to the streets intending to peacefully demonstrate, were local dissidents that received training, funding and material assistance from foreign powers through organizations funded largely by the US State Department. As these movements garnered the attention of the international media, unverified reports of excessive government violence were used to tarnish the image of national governments in the region. Media enterprises such as Al-Jazeera and FOX News did their part to condition public opinion in an effort to build support for Western- sanctioned opposition groups. Dissident forces would later openly receive arms and material assistance from abroad, in order to wage insurrectionary guerilla warfare against the governing authorities of those countries. One of the organizations involved in recruiting, training, and supporting youth activists ahead of the “Arab Spring” was described in an April 2011 New York Times article.1 The organization, Movements.org, or Alliance of Youth Movements, would later be described admitting to US funding and involvement in the “Arab Spring” uprisings. The article implicates Freedom House, the National Endowment for Democracy, and two of its satellite organizations, the International Republican Institute, and the National Democratic Institute, in recruiting, training, and supporting the unrest starting as early as 2008. While the New York Times article doesn’t mention the organization by name, it links to an official US State Department announcement titled, “Announcement on Alliance of Youth Movements Summit,” that most certainly does.2 The Alliance of Youth Movements is a corporate-sponsored “coup college” of sorts, training activists to subvert and topple governments on the US State Department’s behalf. On February 26th, 2011, the US-based Brookings Institution issued a report titled, “Libya’s Test of the New International Order,” which argued in favor of intervention in Libya, describing the undertaking as “a test that the international community has to pass.” Failure to do so would, in the words of Brookings Doha Center Director Salman Shaikh, “shake further the faith of the people’s region in the emerging international order and the primacy of international law.” Succeeding would, as the 1 U.S. Groups Helped Nurture Arab Uprisings, The New York Times, April 14, 2011 2 Announcement on Alliance of Youth Movements Summit, America.Gov Archive, November 20, 2008 report states, “demonstrably draw a line in the sand to deter other Arab autocrats who resort to attacking their people rather than dialogue and genuine reforms.” By reforms, Brookings is referring to Libya’s integration into the “international system,” where protectionist economic policies would be pushed aside to allow foreign governments and multinational corporations to usurp the countries’ sovereignty and vast natural resources.3 The government of Muammar Gaddafi had been accused of using targeted airstrikes against gatherings of unarmed demonstrators, as cited by a concentrated stream of unverified activist testimony, alleging the perpetration of state-sponsored crimes against humanity. In late March 2011, following the passage of UN Resolution 1973 which mandated the enforcement of a no-fly-zone over Libya, NATO launched a bombing campaign in support of Libya’s armed rebels, under the auspices of “protecting civilians.” Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy would echo Brookings’ sentiments, stating: Every ruler should understand, and especially every Arab ruler should understand that the reaction of the international community and of Europe will from this moment on each time be the same: we will be on the side of peaceful protesters who must not be repressed with violence.4 The United Nations passed Resolution 1973 amid the first reports of insurrectionary violence in the southern Syrian city of Daraa. While the mainstream media portrayed armed rebels instigating violence against Syrian security forces as “peaceful protestors,” US Senator Joe Lieberman would threaten Syria with foreign military intervention. In Daraa, protesters torched the Ba’ath Party headquarters and destroyed cars parked along the street, while two protesters were reportedly killed as they attempted to set ablaze another government building in the city of Latakia. It is difficult to understand how any responsible government should be expected to allow foreign-funded mobs to commit widespread arson and vandalism with the expressed goal of removing the standing government from power. Undoubtedly, the violence exhibited by the protesters was designed to intentionally provoke Syrian security forces attempting to maintain order. However excessively or appropriately the Syrian security forces reacted to the violence, the mainstream media and Western politicians attempted to leverage legitimacy away from Damascus, citing the violence as the justification for President Bashar al-Assad to step aside. Disturbingly, the continued perpetuation of violence and disorder has been attributed to hired provocateurs, which are often employed to kill protesters and security forces alike, creating an internationally sensationalized bloodbath, designed to escalate both the protests and international pressure on the state. An article published by The Sydney Morning Herald entitled, “Bloodbath New Threat to Assad” stated that the instability in southern Syria has left the regime “staggering.” Additionally, it invited “stern” criticism from US President Barack Obama