I’ve followed events in Syria for a long time, and have intently followed, from the start, the ongoing 17-month old upheaval in the country. I soon became convinced that this armed insurgency was blatantly politically-motivated, and sponsored and abetted, by countries outside Syria—namely its regional enemies, and the ‘West’ with which it has had an inimical, adversarial relationship, for at least the past 40 years. I appreciate and endorse the genuine aspirations of many ordinary Syrians for greater political freedoms. But the so-called “uprising” is scarcely confined to merely a movement for greater political democratisation and liberties. It has been overwhelmingly superseded by an altogether subversive agenda (by foreign-sponsored “rebels”) toward totally destabilising Syria, sowing a savage sectarian strife, upending Syria’s secular identity and replacing with a foreign, extremist ideology. There’s also obviously the objective of finally “taming” Syria, and bring it into the existing U.S arch of domination in the M. East. And in doing so, also ultimately corner a lone Iran. This ‘game’ is blindingly apparent to the Assad government in Syria. The daily carnage of innocent civilians, the destruction of state and public property, and the myriad other acts of violence and mayhem and mainstream (both Arab and Western) media propaganda, are all a ‘set-up’–intended to vilify Assad and force the issue in Syria, i.e. regime change, and subsequent political reconfiguration suited to the ambitions of the instigators of the current crisis in Syria

Bashar al-Assad has his faults and failures as Syria’s leader, but the crass demonisation of the man by his many predictable detractors abroad, is politically self-serving and patently iniquitous. I stridently oppose this craven crusade against the Syrian government, and more egregiously, against its people. Right now, a negotiated settlement seems like the least bad path to a resolution to this crisis—and an end to the violence and carnage. However, until Syria’s neighbours decide to cease their vile interference and incitement in Syria’s internal affairs, and armed insurgents, goaded and paid continue to wreak havoc in the country, I’d argue it’s only reasonable that the Assad government refuse to relinquish the futures of peace-loving, tolerant, enlightened Syrians to the country’s implacable foes. Nobody I know in Syria aspires to see their country become another Iraq or Libya. And it won’t, if they remain strong, united, defiant, and hopeful, despite the daunting odds, today.

“On February 4, 2012 when I witnessed the VETO by Russia & China of the resolution in the UN Security Council for a mandate for NATO to militarily intervene in Syria, I felt slightly delerious with joy. I even tweeted a link to Joan Baez singing “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and went out to celebrate
Day by day all the attempts to stage an event to implement a SHOCK DOCTRINE moment to sway world opinion to activate a mandate for U.S./NATO imperial intervention has fizzled and failed.
Everyone is now wise to Western propaganda techniques and the use of their created social networks of Twitter, Facebook, & YouTube.
But these techniques have backfired and the social networks are flooded, in real time, with facts that counter the NATO propaganda line for all the world to see.
Its now time to bring these serial NATO killing war criminals to justice as well their propaganda mouthpieces even among the so-called progressive alternative media like al-Jazeera, Pacifica, and DemocracyNow!
Aiding propaganda to commit genocide is more severe crime than the act itself & IMHO the likes of Amy Goodman, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, & members of the UNHRC should be referred to ICC for prosecution.

J. A. Calhoun– journalist, film maker, activist