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Putin Bashing Washington Post |
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By
Stephen Lendman |
| WaPo editors must have swallowed hard before publishing its March 15
editorial, headlining “Vladimir Putin rides out of Syria as a victor.” Russia has been militarily involved in Syria for decades, since building and maintaining its Tartus naval facility in 1971. Damascus is a longtime ally. Moscow maintains its military presence at Syria’s Khmeymim airbase, including warplanes and supportive ground personnel, their numbers reduced, not entirely withdrawn, continuing to be used against terrorist targets as needed, supporting government ground forces. Since conflict began, Russia urged diplomatic resolution, the only major power going all-out for peace responsibly, again hoping for a positive outcome, despite Washington’s rage for war. “(I)n Syria, Mr. Putin has accomplished quite a lot, and his gains have come at the expense of US interests and of Mr. Obama’s stated goals in the region,” WaPo editors conceded. He turned the tide of battle, helping Syria preserve its sovereign independence and territorial integrity. WaPo editors, like their Western counterparts, continue calling US naked aggression “civil war.” There’s nothing civil about it, one of the many Big Lies about the conflict. Syria was invaded, US backed ISIS and other terrorist elements recruited from scores of foreign countries. Arming and providing them with other material support continues. At the same time, Russia’s anti-terrorism aerial campaign let Syrian forces regain the upper hand, retake earlier lost territory, maintain the struggle to liberate the entire country. Putin “reestablish(ed) Russia as a power in the Middle East,” WaPo editors admitted - Washington “obliged to accept (it) as a co-equal” in conflict resolution talks, at the same time “setting aside (its) demand for Assad” to go any time soon. Russia’s Syrian involvement gained it important geopolitical stature and influence - “Putin…positioned to seek the lifting of (illegally imposed) European Union sanctions (by) summer,” said WaPo editors. They continue repeating Big Lies about Russia’s aerial campaign largely targeting nonexistent rebel groups, not ISIS and other terrorists, bombing hospitals and other civilian sites, killing “hundreds, of not thousands, of civilians…pa(ying no price for these crimes.” They maintain the fiction of Washington and its (rogue) allies waging war on ISIS, imperial foot soldiers they support. They absurdly claim Assad’s survival makes it harder to defeat ISIS. In less than so many words, they conceded Putin’s Syria strategy eclipsed Obama’s, showing Russia is a force to be reckoned with in the Middle East and elsewhere. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. |
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