Dangerous Crossroads. A War on Syria, Prelude to a World War III Scenario?
In order to facilitate the action of liberative (sic) forces, …a special effort should be made to eliminate certain key individuals. …[to] be accomplished early in the course of the uprising and intervention, …
Once a political decision has been reached to proceed with internal disturbances in Syria, CIA is prepared, and SIS (MI6) will attempt to mount minor sabotage and coup de main (sic) incidents within Syria, working through contacts with individuals. …Incidents should not be concentrated in Damascus …
Further : a “necessary degree of fear .. frontier incidents and (staged) border clashes”, would “provide a pretext for intervention… the CIA and SIS [MI6] should use … capabilities in both psychological and action fields to augment tension.”(Joint US-UK leaked Intelligence Document, London and Washington, 1957)
Syria occupies a strategic location in the Middle East. The war on Syria is part of a roadmap of military undertakings. It is an integral part of a broader US-NATO-Israel military agenda directed not only against Iran, but also against Russia and China. Moreover, it is part of an extended military agenda which consists in establishing control over Middle East-Central Asian oil reserves as well as strategic oil and gas pipelines.
It is a component part of a broader process of war and of country level political destabilization in the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia.
The failures of the US sponsored Al Qaeda insurgency in Syria (launched in March 2011) integrated by mercenary forces and supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel have set now the stage for a conventional theater war involving the deployment of air force as well as boots on the ground.
The US and its allies are now accusing the Syrian government, without evidence of using Sarin gas against its own population, with a view to shaping a pretext to intervene militarily in Syria.
US, British, French and Israeli officials are currently involved in a round of consultations regarding the nature and timing of this operation.
Pretext to Wage War: The Kosovo Model
Referring to the so-called “Racak massacre”, which was a staged event used as a pretext for NATO’s intervention in Yugoslavia, Washington has hinted that it may use the precedent of the Kosovo Model (1999) with a view to justifying an R2P military mandate in Syria.
It is worth noting that in Yugoslavia, NATO intervened in support of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a terrorist and criminal entity with links to both Al Qaeda and organized crime.
Ironically, while President Obama has called for military intervention, US intelligence has cast doubt on the official story, pointing to the fact that intelligence is shady and that there is no “smoking gun”:
An intercept of Syrian military officials discussing the strike was among low-level staff, with no direct evidence tying the attack back to an Assad insider or even a senior Syrian commander, the officials said.
So while Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that links between the attack and the Assad government are “undeniable,” U.S. intelligence officials are not so certain that the suspected chemical attack was carried out on Assad’s orders, or even completely sure it was carried out by government forces, the officials said. (AP, August 29, 2013):
Escalation is an integral part of the military agenda. Were a US-NATO military operation to be launched against Syria, the broader Middle East Central Asian region extending from North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border with China would be engulfed in the turmoil of an extended regional war.
This war would inevitably spread to Lebanon and Jordan. Israel and Turkey would be actively involved both in the air campaign and the deployment of ground forces. America’s allies in the Gulf including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have played a key role in recruiting and training the “rebels”, are also involved in the staging of this military operation. Iran and Russia are military allies of Syria. The crucial question is whether they will choose to actively side (from a military standpoint) with Syria if and when the attack is implemented.
Recent reports suggest that a cyber-warfare operation has been launched. Allied special forces are reported to have entered Syrian territory from Jordan and Turkey. British special forces are reported to be searching for Syrian air defense systems “in readiness for Allied strikes”.
A potential state of panic spearheaded by media disinformation is unfolding in Israel. The IDF is reported to have called up Army reservists, which are being deployed on Israel’s northern border. Israel’s “missile shield system” which is integrated into the broader US-NATO air defense system has been activated. Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis are queuing up for gas masks, spurred on by fears of a Syrian reprisal to a Western attack.
Humanity is at dangerous crossroads
There are at present four distinct war theaters: Afghanistan-Pakistan, Iraq, Palestine and Libya.
An attack on Syria would lead to the integration of these separate war theaters, eventually leading towards a broader Middle East-Central Asian war.
Moreover, several other countries including Yemen, Somalia, Egypt, Mali, Niger, among others, are now strung in the midst of US sponsored “civil wars”, invariably leading to economic collapse, political instability and the demise of State institutions. In these countries, US military intervention often takes the form of counter-terrorism operations against Al Qaeda affiliated rebels (who are supported by US intelligence).
Public opinion is largely unaware of the grave implications of these war plans which could potentially lead humanity into a World War III scenario.
Moreover, an extended regional war in the Middle East and Central Asia will inevitably have repercussions in other regions of the World including South East Asia and the Far East, where the US is threatening North Korea, China as well as Russia as part of its “Pivot to Asia” strategy.
The US Sponsored Insurgency
“Mass civilian casualty events” play a central role in US military doctrine. Civilian casualties are triggered with a view to drumming up public support for war on humanitarian grounds.
What we are dealing with is a diabolical staged event of civilian deaths with a view to blaming the Syrian government and triggering a regional war.
From the very outset of the insurgency in Daraa in mid-March 2011, terrorist brigades –largely integrated by mercenaries– have been set loose inside Syria.
A pattern of media disinformation was set in motion. The deaths of civilians have consistently been blamed on the Syrian government. The mass civilian casualties and atrocities committed by so-called “revolutionaries” have been used to demonize the Syrian government of Bashar al Assad.
MI6, CIA and Mossad operatives as well as Western Special Forces had integrated rebel forces from the very outset. The high profile terrorist attacks were coordinated by highly trained military contractors and intelligence operatives:
”As the unrest and killings escalate in the troubled Arab state, agents from MI6 and the CIA are already in Syria assessing the situation, a security official has revealed. Special forces are also talking to Syrian dissident soldiers. They want to know about weapons and communications kit rebel forces will need if the [British] Government decides to help. “MI6 and the CIA are in Syria to infiltrate and get at the truth,” said the well-placed source. “We have SAS and SBS not far away who want to know what is happening and are finding out what kit dissident soldiers need. (Daily Star, January 1st, 2012http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/227911/Syria-will-be-bloodiest-yetemphasis added)
War preparations to attack Syria and Iran have been in “an advanced state of readiness” for several years. US, NATO and Israeli military planners have outlined the contours of a “humanitarian” military campaign, in which Turkey (the second largest military force inside NATO) would play a central role.
An air campaign including a “no fly zone” directed against Syria has been envisaged since late 2011, largely in view of the failures underlying the US-NATO covert war in support of opposition rebels, integrated by trained mercenaries.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence: “This is all going like Libya but this will be bigger and bloodier”
In 2011, Britain’s Ministry of Defence in liaison with the Pentagon was involved in “drawing up secret plans for a NATO-sponsored no-fly zone” (Ibid, http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/227911/Syria-will-be-bloodiest-yet
British Defense authorities admit that the planned air campaign on Syria would be on a much larger scale than in Libya in 2011 and that Israel would be an integral part of the military operation. “Syria supports Hezbollah. That threatens Israel and the whole of the Middle East…. “This is all going like Libya but this will be bigger and bloodier“” (Ibid, emphasis added)
Syria has an advanced Russian S-300 air defense system. Russian technical advisers have been in Syria since November 2011 to “help the Syrians set up an array of S-300 missiles”. Reports also confirm that Syria has an advanced radar system installed in all key Syrian military and industrial installations. “The radar system also covers areas north and south of Syria, where it will be able to detect movement of troops or aircraft towards the Syrian border. The radar targets include much of Israel, as well as the Incirlik military base in Turkey, which is used by NATO.” (According to Arun Shavetz (November 24, 2011),
Naval and air force deployments have already been announced by the British Ministry of Defense. According to London’s news tabloids, quoting “authoritative” military sources; “…The escalating civil war [in Syria] made it increasingly likely that the West would be forced to step in. ” ( Daily Mail, July 24, 2012)
The Syria False Flag Chemical Weapons Attack: An Integral Part of US-NATO Military Planning
The WMD option for Syria –which has been on the drawing board of US intelligence since at least August 2012– is being carried out in the wake of the defeat of the US sponsored Al Nusrah terrorist brigades by government forces.
Modelled on previous US-NATO led “humanitarian wars”, it consists in triggering civilian deaths in a staged false flag operation and then blaming Syria for killing its own people.
The purpose is to drum up public support for a so-called “no fly zone” and provide a pretext and a justification for military intervention on humanitarian grounds.
Various stages of military intervention have been contemplated:
- The killings of innocent civilians by al Qaeda affiliated rebel force in a chemical weapons attack are deliberately carried out as part of a covert intelligence operation. The Syrian government is then blamed for the resulting atrocities.
- Media disinformation is geared towards demonizing the Syrian government. Public opinion is led into endorsing a military intervention on humanitarian grounds. Responding to public outrage, US-NATO is then “forced to step in” under a Humanitarian “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) mandate.
- Media propaganda goes into high gear. “The International Community” comes to the rescue of the Syrian people.”
- Warships and fighter jets are then deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean.
- These actions are coordinated with logistical support to the rebels and Special forces on the ground.
- The final objective is “regime change” leading to the “break-up of the country” along sectarian lines and/or the installation of an “Islamist-dominated or influenced regime” modelled on Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
- War plans in relation to Syria are integrated with those pertaining to Iran. The road to Tehran goes through Damascus. The broader implications of US-NATO intervention are military escalation and the possible unleashing of a regional war extending from the Eastern Mediterranean to Central Asia, in which China and Russia could be directly or indirectly involved.
Preparations for a false flag chemical weapons attack started more than a year ago. According to an August 2012 Los Angeles Times report the Pentagon announced that it was sending “small teams of special operations troops” into Syria with a view to destroying Syria’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). These teams would in turn be supported by “precision air strikes”, namely air raids.
The scenario of a Syrian government chemical weapons attack on the Syrian population had already been examined by US intelligence:
Securing the sites would probably involve stealthy raids by special operations teams trained to handle such weapons, and precision air strikes to incinerate the chemicals without dispersing them in the air, the officials said. U.S. satellites and drone aircraft already maintain partial surveillance of the sites.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe Syria has over the years produced or acquired hundreds of tons of sarin nerve agent and mustard gas, a blister agent, and has sought to develop VX, another powerful nerve gas. The toxicity of some chemical agents degrades significantly over time, so it is unclear how lethal the stockpiles are.
Experts say the chemical agents are stored in bunkers and other sites around the country. Four production facilities are near the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs, all tinderboxes in the 17-month uprising, as well as the coastal city of Latakia, an area considered a stronghold for Assad’s Alawite religious sect.
An unclassified report by the director of national intelligence this year saidSyria’s chemical agents “can be delivered by aerial bombs, ballistic missiles and artillery rockets.” But Syrian rockets, including Scud missiles procured from North Korea, are notoriously inaccurate, making them ineffective for delivering a heavy concentration of toxic chemicals to a specific target. . ( U.S. has plans in place to secure Syria chemical arms – latimes.com, August 22, 2012)
These initial US sponsored WMD special team operations had established the likely scenario of a staged false flag chemical weapons attack. In all likelihood they also set the stage for the training of rebel forces in the use of chemical weapons
US Sponsored “Rebels” in Possession of Chemical Weapons
While there is absolutely no evidence of the Syrian government having used chemical weapons against its population, there is evidence that the CIA sponsored Al Qaeda affiliated rebels have chemical weapons in their possession and that they are being trained by Western special forces in the use of chemical weapons by Western special forces.
The training [in chemical weapons], which is taking place in Jordan and Turkey,involves how to monitor and secure stockpiles and handle weapons sites and materials, according to the sources. Some of the contractors are on the ground in Syria working with the rebels to monitor some of the sites, according to one of the officials.
The nationality of the trainers was not disclosed, though the officials cautioned against assuming all are American. (CNN, December 09, 2012, emphasis added
This is not a rebel training exercise in non-proliferation. What is contemplated as part of this covert operation is the possession of chemical weapons by the US-NATO sponsored terrorists, namely “by our” Al Qaeda affiliated operatives, including the Al Nusra Front.
This US sponsored training of Al Qaeda terrorists in the art of chemical warfare is in blatant violation of international law and Chapter VII of the UN Charter.
In June, it was reported that
“Turkish police had round up Al Qaeda-linked Syrian Al Nusra terrorists in raids in Istanbul and southern cities near the Syrian border, Turkey police … arrested 12 members of al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Al Nusra Front. Found in their possession were four and a half pounds of sarin nerve gas, hand guns, grenades, bullets and documents for what the Turkish daily Zaman reported was a bomb attack on the Turkish town of Adana. (Debka, June 15, 2013, emphasis added)
The United Nations Independent Mission confirms that Rebel Forces Are in Possession of Sarin Nerve Gas
While Washington points its finger at president Bashar al Assad, a United Nations independent commission of inquiry confirmed in May 2013 that the rebels rather than the government have chemical weapons in their possession and are using sarin nerve against the civilian population:
U.N. human rights investigators have gathered testimony from casualties of Syria’s civil war and medical staff indicating that rebel forces have used the nerve agent sarin, one of the lead investigators said on Sunday.
The United Nations independent commission of inquiry on Syria has not yet seen evidence of government forces having used chemical weapons, which are banned under international law, said commission member Carla Del Ponte. [see image right]
“Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated,” Del Ponte said in an interview with Swiss-Italian television.
“This was use on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities,” she added, speaking in Italian. (“U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator,” Chicago Tribune, May, 5 2013, emphasis added)
There is also evidence that Al Nusrah forces have:
“deployed a form of sarin in a home-made shell fired on government forces in Khan al-Assal.
Russia has provided the UN with evidence to this effect and Khan al-Assal was one of the sites on the list to be visited by the UN inspection team.” See Phil Greaves, Syria: Obama’s Pretext for War? The “Rebels” are in Possession of Chemical Weapons, Global Research, August 29, 2013)
The Suppressed Daily Mail Report
In January 29, 2013, Britain’s most popular Daily Newspaper, in its online versionDailymail.co.uk published an article titled:
U.S. ‘backed plan to launch chemical weapon attack on Syria and blame it on Assad’s regime’
Archives.org has published the record of the controversial Daily Mail article pertaining to an alleged US sponsored intelligence operation to launch a chemical weapons attack on Syria and blame it on President Bashar al-Assad.
The original article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270219/U-S-planned-launch-chemical-weapon-attack-Syria-blame-Assad.html
has been removed from the archives of the Daily Mail. It is nonetheless available at
It is our understanding that the Daily Mail report was removed following a libel suit launched by Britam Defense and Intelligence, a UK based Security Company against the Daily Mail.
Staged War Pretext Event
This diabolical operation consists in the US equipping its rebels with chemical weapons and implementing a carefully staged operation which consists in killing civilians and then blaming the Syrian government for the atrocities committed on behalf of the US-NATO military alliance.
What is unfolding is a diabolical scenario –which is an integral part of military planning– namely a situation where opposition terrorists advised by Western defense contractors are actually in possession of chemical weapons.
The evidence presented above suggests that the rebels rather the Syrian government are using chemical weapons against civilians. US special forces pertaining to chemical weapons have been operating inside Syria since August 2012. This period coincides with the training of the rebels in the use of chemical weapons (confirmed by CNN) as well as the use of chemical weapons including sarin gas by rebel forces.
The West claims that it is coming to the rescue of the Syrian people, whose lives are allegedly threatened by Bashar Al Assad. The truth of the matter is that the Western military alliance is not only supporting the terrorists, including the Al Nusra Front, it is also making chemical weapons available to its proxy “opposition” rebel forces.
Media Propaganda
The media has replicated the lie. Investigative reporting has been scrapped in favor of media spin, lies and fabrications. Syndicated reports call for military intervention under the auspices of the United Nations.
The premise of the lie are set, the reports build their investigation around the lie.
In the meantime, prominent Western leftists intellectuals have expressed their support for a NATO sponsored humanitarian intervention. These are the same people who supported the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya.
They casually describe the US sponsored Al Qaeda affiliated rebels (which are on the State Department list of terrorist organizations) as “revolutionaries” comparable to the landless movement in Brazil and the Zapatistas in the Chiapas region of Mexico.
Among these self-proclaimed Leftists, the consensus is in favor of a “humanitarian war”:
“We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the millions of Syrians who have been struggling for dignity and freedom since March 2011. We call on people of the world to pressure the Syrian regime to end its oppression of and war on the Syrian people. We demand that Bashar al-Asad leave immediately without excuses so that Syria can begin a speedy recovery towards a democratic future.
“The revolution in Syria is a fundamental part of the North African revolutions, yet it is also an extension of the Zapatista revolt in Mexico, the landless movement in Brazil, the European and North American revolts against neoliberal exploitation, and an echo of Iranian, Russian and Chinese movements for freedom.”
https://www.change.org/petitions/solidarity-with-the-syrian-struggle-for-dignity-and-freedom
Who is waging war on the Syrian people?
The government or the US-NATO sponsored death squads, which are trained and recruited in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.
In a bitter irony, the language and discourse of the “Progressives” while not calling for direct military action, is similar in scope and content to a Neocon Open Letter to President Barack Obama published in the Weekly Standard signed by Elliott Abrams, Paul Berman, Eliot A. Cohen, Robert Kagan, William Kristol, Bernard-Henri Levy, Karl Rove, among others.
“At a minimum, the United States, along with willing allies and partners, should use standoff weapons and airpower to target the Syrian dictatorship’s military units that were involved in the recent large-scale use of chemical weapons,…
It should also provide vetted moderate elements of Syria’s armed opposition with the military support required to identify and strike regime units armed with chemical weapons.”It is therefore time for the United States to take meaningful and decisive actions to stem the Assad regime’s relentless aggression, andhelp shape and influence the foundations for the post-Assad Syria that you have said is inevitable.http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/experts-obama-here-what-do-syria_751267.html
Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and Editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America’s “War on Terrorism”(2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages.
He can be reached at crgeditor@yahoo.com
Global Research Note: The Global Research website at globalresearch.ca as well as our French language site mondialisation.ca have experienced technical difficulties in the course of the last few days.
The site became inaccessible. Several important articles were no longer available. An earlier version of this article was posted on August 29, prior to the difficulties experienced by Global Research. The original version of this article is no longer accessible. GR Editor, M. Ch.