As the US mainstream media obsessed last week about Russia’s supposed “hacking” of the US elections and President Obama’s final round of Russia sanctions in response, something very important was taking place under the media radar. As a result of a meeting between foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey last month, a ceasefire in Syria has been worked out and is being implemented. So far it appears to be holding, and after nearly six years of horrible warfare the people of Syria are finally facing the possibility of rebuilding their lives.
What is so important about this particular ceasefire? It was planned, agreed to, and implemented without the participation of the United States Government.
In fact it was frustration with Washington’s refusal to separate its “moderates” from terrorist groups and its continued insistence on regime change for the Syrian government that led the three countries to pursue a solution on their own for Syria. They also included the Syrian government and much of the opposition in the agreement, which the US government has been unwilling to do.
We have been told all along by the neocons and “humanitarian interventionists” that the United States must take a central role in every world crisis or nothing will ever be solved. We are the “indispensable nation,” they say, and without our involvement the world will collapse. Our credibility is on the line, they claim, and if we don’t step up no one will. All this is untrue, as we have seen last week.
The fact is, it is often US involvement in “solving” these crises that actually perpetuates them. Consider the 60-plus year state of war between North and South Korea. Has US intervention done anything to solve the problem? How about our decades of meddling in the Israel-Palestine dispute? Are we any closer to peace between the Israelis and Palestinians despite the billions we have spent bribing and interfering?
Non-intervention in the affairs of others does not damage US credibility overseas. It is US meddling, bombing, droning, and regime-changing that damages our credibility overseas. US obstruction in Syria kept the war going. As the Syrians and Russians were liberating east Aleppo from its four year siege by al-Qaeda, the Obama Administration was demanding a ceasefire. As Syrians began to move back into their homes in east Aleppo, the State Department continued to tell us that the Russians and Syrian government were slaughtering civilians for the fun of it.
So why all the media attention on unproven accusations of Russian hacking and President Obama’s predictable, yet meaningless response? The mainstream media does the bidding of Washington’s interventionists and they are desperate to divert attention from what may prove to be the beginning of the end of Syria’s long nightmare. They don’t want Americans to know that the rest of the world can solve its own problems without the US global policemen in the center of the action. When it is finally understood that we don’t need to be involved for crises to be solved overseas, the neocons will lose. Let’s hope that happens soon!
Obama, Neocons, Establishment Politicians:
Failure at Regime Change in Syria
Failure after Regime Change in Libya
Failure at November elections
Failure of GloBULL Warming Propaganda
Failure to actually care about the country
Great column. Dr Paul at his best.
So Washington (actually Obama) has gone in and started a middle eastern wide “Arab Spring” that is destroying the very small amount of peace and security that was there, and threatening the world as a whole in the process, while Russia has just gone in, taken charge, defeated ISIS, and worked at what looks like may turn out to be a successful reestablishment of a degree of peace in the region.
This makes Russia evil and we must go to war with them over their hacking of our elections the same way we had no choice but to go to war over his possession of WMD’s he was threatening the world with in spite of keeping Iraq a unified and mostly peaceful country and the region stable.
WAR – We Are Right.
Don’t forget that!
If only Dr.Ron Paul’s message of restricting our federal government within its constitutional constraints and maintaining a sound monetary system based on real valued commodity (gold & silver) . Also follow a non interventionist foreign policy and restricting our involvement in only the most extreme of cases and then at a very limited basis ! Fair and free trade protecting our country and economy .
I know Dream on , our military industrial complex and debt based bankers cannot resist sticking their combined “DICK BEATERS” in every pile of shit they can find around the world , pointing fingers killing and injuring millions while enriching themselves and Washington insiders bankrupting our nation all the while convincing a stupid majority it’s for their own good !
God bless you Ron Paul you tried valiantly , sadly real freedom is something many people fear more than embrace , after all maintaining our republic requires all to get involved and most to get their hands dirty !
Could you see our president fighting a duel with pistols against a banker today ? No way but sorely needed ! Do you think Wells Fargo would have pulled their recent criminal act if the CEO knew he may find himself pulling 20 years hard labor or dangling from a rope around their miserable necks
I’ve always thought that one of the stupidest things we’ve ever done is to outlaw dueling.
I’m willing to bet we’d have a lot politer society and more dignified political discussions if we hadn’t.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_duello
It was planned, agreed to, and implemented without the participation of the United States Government….or the tail wagging dog , Israel.
Ron Paul is the man! Trump would do well to make him an advisor, but with all Trump’s Goldman Sachs picks that seems very unlikely.
Blessings:-}