How did we come to have so much animosity with Syria? Bashar al – Assad appears to be moving Syria towards being a secular and sovereign country. So why is the US government so centered on removing him?  The US media and administration lambasted the Syrian government with claims of human rights violations and genocidal acts, all the while, turning a blind eye to Saudi Arabia entering the UN ( update : the Senate has just narrowly approved billions in weapons deals with Saudi Arabia [A], continuing the globally damaging negotiations and  contracts made by the previous administration [B] ) Saudi Arabia has a tenacious history of human rights violations, that should prevent their input on the human rights council, but, it hasn’t. Leaked documents suggest that the UK initiated negotiations with Saudi Arabia, to ensure that both states were elected to the UN human rights council in early 2013. Saudi Arabia transferred $100,000 for “expenditures resulting from the campaign to nominate the Kingdom for membership the human rights council for the period 2014 – 2016.” Both countries were eventually elected to the UNHRC. [1] It seems ignorant to not ponder, the possibility, that weapons manufacturers and governments are manipulating the Human Rights Council for personal profits. The UK has also had their fair share of business dealings with Saudi Arabia. Over $6 billion of weapons deals with Saudi Arabia and the UK, happened under David Cameron, as of 2010 [C]. The UN Human Rights Council frowns on selling weapons to non members [D]. No punishments from the UN Human Rights Council seems strict enough to prevent these kinds of legalese loopholes.

These kinds of events do not just “pop up”. They are carefully planned and crafted, over years. Honed and perfected, with reoccurring roles. Thirty four years ago, September 14, 1983, a CIA think piece, titled, “Bringing Real Muscle To Bear Against Syria”, sets out a detailed plan, utilizing preexisting tensions between middle eastern governments, to topple any interference of “U.S.interest”.  The memo suggest, sharply escalating pressures against Hafez Assad, through covertly orchestrating simultaneous military threats against Syria. Utilizing three different border states hostile to Syria : Iraq, Israel and Turkey [2]. With Iraq in a bad spot with Syria closing the pipelines, and Turkey, angry with Syrian support of the Armenians, Israel would raise tensions along Syria’s Lebanon front, putting Assad in easy target.

The author, who was vice chair of the National Intelligence Council, and station chief in Kabul for the CIA, Graham E. Fuller, was said to be “instrumental”, to the Iran Contra affair in 1985. Fullers designs in covert weapons deals and political power plays, shaped the U.S. Mideast policies and cemented the creation of future terrorist organizations and rebel forces.

Graham Fullers daughter, Samantha Ankara Fuller,was wed to the uncle of the Boston Marathon bombers, Ruslin Tsarnaev [3]. The connection between Fuller, a CIA agent and State Department employee, and Tsarnaev, the uncle of the Boston bombers, as well as a Turkish Imam named Fethullah Gulen, acting as a funding connection for terrorist organizations, from the comfort of his Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania home, while also leading an international education organization. In 1994, Tsarnaevs business, The Congress of Chechen International Organizations, was listed at,11114 Whisperwood lane, Rockville Maryland,the address of Graham E Fuller. Further connections have been found between Tsarnaev, terrorist organizations, government entities, and ex CIA man, and current author, Graham E. Fuller [*3].  Fullers ideas, connections and name are still very relevant to foreign relations we are in today. The play must go on.

Syria has consistently been a hangnail, on the claw of American Government.There have been sanctions and threats. Chemical warfare, propaganda, assassinations, false flags. Answers, lost in the piles of redacted memos and secret agreements.

Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria since 1971, died and his son Bashar al Assad, became the President of Syria, on July 17 2000 [4]. Protest had already begun as of June of 2000. In September of 2000, 99 intellectuals sighed and published a list of demands to the Syrian government. Titled “Statement of 99” the demands are –

End the state of emergency and martial law being applied in Syria since 1963

Issue a public pardon to all political detainees and those who are pursued for their political ideas and allow the return of all deportees and exiled citizens

Establish a rule of law that will recognize freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and freedom of expression

Free public life from the laws,constraints and various forms of surveillance imposed on it, allowing citizens to express their various interest within a framework of social harmony and peaceful [economic] competition and enable all to participate in the development and prosperity of the country.  [*4].

Meetings between government and intellectuals took place, but fizzled out. Ending in some arrest and breaking up of groups. The protest and riots continued. A perfect opportunity for US forces to turn their attention else where, while Syria remained weakened by an upturned citizenry.

The September 11 attacks in New York and DC, in 2001,introduced a new fear to the American population,“TERRORIST!”. We handed over our luggage, shoes and privacy, in trade for the illusion of safety. There had not been an attack on America, of this kind of magnitude (there was the bombing of the twin towers in 1993, 1000 injured and 6 dead) since Pearl Harbor in 1941 (before Hawaii was part of the US, but we had a military base there, so it is debatable.) American President George W. Bush, and his administration were quick to point  fingers at Iraq and throw accusations of W.O.D. The warmup of the war drums.

People have worked tirelessly, to see the evidence, of who was behind the September 11th attacks. On July 15 2016, 28 classified pages from the first congressional investigation into the 9/11 terrorist attacks were released to the public [5] . The documents were severely redacted, Saudi Arabia was implicated as well as the US government, for remaining complicit in covering the crimes. Saudi spies had funded the hijackers and helped them to get into US flight schools in California. Yet,the US has never focused on investigating Saudi resources funding the attacks. Saudi Arabia had threatened to crash the dollar, if publicly implicated in the 9/11 attacks. Follow the money and you will find wonder at the timing and purpose for the release of the pages. Here is a link to a discussion of the possible psyop of the release of the 28 pages and implications of economic cover ups [5*]. Congress passed S.2040, Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism, allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government, Obama vetoed it, but it went to public law and was passed. There has been a lawsuit filed [E] against the Saudi government, that has also come under question from some US officials, stating that if citizens can sue nations for funding possible terrorist, the US could be triable.

Going back to 2003, on January 28th, President Bush gave a State of The Union address. He spoke of education and economy. He introduced Homeland Security and asked of congress $15 billion to “turn the tide against AIDS, in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean”. The speech ended with reminders of the threat we were told we were under, “Terrorist!”. The final words were, “The United States will ask the UN Security Council to convene on February the 5th to consider the facts of Iraq’s ongoing defiance of the world. Secretary of State Powell will present information and intelligence about Iraqi’s — Iraq’s illegal weapons program, its attempts to hide those weapons from its inspectors and its links to terrorist groups. We will consult, but let there be no misunderstanding: If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.” [6]. Sound familiar?

February 5th 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell presented the UN with the administration’s rationale for war with Iraq, citing Weapons Of Mass Destruction, as imminent threat to world security [7]. There was no solid evidence when we entered Iraq then, and we have no evidence to enter Syria today. Despite tensions between Iraq and Syria (Planned long ago by Fuller and created by the US and allies) Assad used Syria’s seat on the UN Security Council to try to prevent the invasion of Iraq [8]. On March 19th, 2003, U.S. and Britain launch war against Iraq [9]. We have less safety and freedoms now, then we did before invading Iraq. But to remain on the path towards economic dominance and global power, Iraq needed to be put under control.

September 6th 2007,as the US military chipped away at Iraq,  Israeli Air force implemented,“Operation Orchard”. A top-secret operation that claimed to have destroyed a suspected nuclear reactor in Syria. [10]. The U.S. and Israeli governments imposed media blackouts in both countries, for seven months. Israel claimed they received (via, a note left on a administrators desk) intelligence reports that Syria was being assisted by North Korea in building a nuclear weapon [11]. Syria denies that there was a nuclear reactor at the site and wrote a letter to UN Secretary General , Ban Ki-Moon, calling the incursion a breach of air space [12]. The UN denies ever receiving the letter.

2007, was also a US election year. We had survived a terrorist attack and we were told “Mission Accomplished”,  yet military remained deployed, the parade never happened. It didn’t feel like we had “won the war”. The banks were in the tank and the middle class was sliding into poverty. Hillary Clinton entered the race on January 20th, but her shady history was beat out by Obama’s murky past.

In 2008, further sanctions against Syria were put into place [13],  prohibiting the export of U.S. services to Syria and banning U.S. persons from the involvement in the Syrian petroleum sector, including a prohibition on importing Syria petroleum products. US and Israeli leadership, would later personally benefit through these sanctions, via Genie Energy [14].

Like the US, Saudi, and UK governments manipulations of the UN Human Rights Council regulations,to make shady financial deals, appear “clean”. The same sleight of hand was played with the sanctions on Syria. While turning a blind eye to Israels occupation of the Golan heights, the US would not be breaking any sanctions it had put on Syria, as it would appear that the US was doing business with Israel, not Syria. “Cha ching!” for Cheney and colleagues !

After years of bad relations, Syria appointed its first ambassador to Iraq in more than two decades (who later, in 2012, defected and joined opposition forces against the Assad administration [14*] .) At home, in the US, the economy was in its final death throes. September brought the subprime mortgage crisis and the governments $200 billion bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac [15]  Bush finished up the year by killing 23 Haqqani family members,in a failed attempt to assassinate a Taliban leader in a drone attack on September 8th. New technology, same unanswered questions and wrongful deaths of innocent civilians [16].

May the drone wars begin! January 20th 2009, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th US president. Two days later, January 22 2009, was a busy day for the Obama administration [16*]. Hillary Clinton was confirmed as Secretary of State ,Obama retakes oath of office in a late night ceremony with Chief Justice John Roberts, executive orders are signed, and a joint effort between the Pakistani Army ,supported by US drones, took part in a raid to capture Saudi National, and al Qaeda operative, Zabu ul Taifi.  The casualties were reported to be between 7 to 15. By the end of 2009, it was reported that 52 CIA drone strikes in Pakistan killed a total of 465 – 744, 100 – 210 reported to be civilian deaths, 36 – 39 were reported to be children. [17] Like googly eyed, love sick, teenage girlfriends, we bought whatever hallucinogenic that the Obama friendly media was selling us. Obama went on to win the Nobel peace prize, only 8 months into his administration, for his “ extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” [18]. By 2014, at least 2,400 people, 900 reported as civilians would killed by drone strikes [19]. There have been conflicting stories on what has actually occurred and there has been criticisms from some in senate and congress, and still, we drone on.

Stay tuned for – Part Two – The Obama Influence In Syria