Who Benefits From Assad Remaining In Power?
04 September 2013
By Hussein Shobokshi
As recent events have shown us, sectarian bias has no
limits in the Arab world. The peoples of the region
still view despots and radicals selectively. While
sometimes they see Saddam Hussein as a bloody
Ba'athist thug, they can then suddenly change their
minds and maintain he was a martyr who heroically
defended the eastern "front" of the Arab world. This
is despite the fact that Saddam invaded and occupied a
neighboring country, Kuwait, and killed his own people
using chemical weapons, in addition to his other
crimes.
However when you try to convince people that Bashar
Al-Assad—a brutal Ba'athist thug who killed his own
people with chemical weapons and occupied Lebanon—is
just another Saddam Hussein, they reject his premise
and insist that the comparison does not hold water.
The same selective method is used when they talk about
terrorist organizations. There are people who link
terrorism and Takfirism to certain groups only, such
as Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS,) Al-Nusra Front and other Salafist and Jihadist
groups, ignoring Hezbollah, the Badr Organization, the
Quds Force, and the Mahdi Army. All of these
organizations and militias are the same; they are
Takfirist and terrorist elements that accuse those who
oppose them of apostasy as well as capitalize on and
rejoice in killing their opponents.
Any counter-argument is nothing but a miserable and
shameful attempt to distort the clear reality on the
ground. This is nothing more than promoting a confused
and narrow vision.
This is key to the survival of bloody and criminal
regimes such as the Assad administration. In fact,
there are several forces that have an interest in
Assad remaining in power.
Iran spent a long time raising and then subjugating
the Assad regime, particularly during the era of
Bashar Al-Assad. It also spent large amounts of money
on it and diverted it from the nationalist and pan-Arabist
slogans it has grown accustomed to using to cover its
terrible sectarianism which has now been completely
exposed.
The same applies to Hezbollah that views Syria as a
country where they can expand their influence and
presence in a simple and practical manner.
As for Russia, it views Syria as a foothold for
grander plans in the Middle East and the
Mediterranean, taking advantage of geopolitical
circumstances that might not be repeated in the near
future, not to mention the presence of weak and
reluctant leadership in the western camp.
The Assad regime constitutes a golden opportunity to
Russian and Western intelligence that want to attract
all Jihadist forces (pro and anti-Assad ones) to one
geographical spot, Syria and thus save themselves the
trouble of pursuing these groups. By doing so they
achieve what Israel wants; namely, to get rid of all
sides by encouraging them to fight and provide them
with money, weapons, and information.
On the other hand, Israel will be able to keep an eye
on its "hidden ally," Assad. The reality is that the
Assad regime has protected the borders of Israel by
ensuring peace and quiet on the Golan Heights. Assad
has prevented any sort of disturbance—let alone
resistance or military activities—from happening in
the area.
Strangely enough, no senior Israeli politician has
issued a statement demanding the outright removal of
the Assad regime. On the contrary, both the Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the chief of
Mossad have tacitly said that they would prefer Assad
to remain in power as this would guarantee greater
security for Israel, particularly given the
alternative.
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments