Over one hundred years ago, America gets involved in the First World War. Now, America directly intervenes against the Assad regime in the Syrian Civil War. Like Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat, it rhymes.”
Sixty missiles rain down out of the sky like flaming arrows shot by an ancient army. They find their mark, 20 Syrian jets at an airbase, reducing them to twisted, charred metal and craters. This is done in response to the televised images of a horror show possibly created by a dying regime. Never mind the doubletalk about the president supporting the mindless slaughter of civilians on the campaign trail and now calling for blood to save Syrian babies. It’s all just politics, bub, now Johnny get your gun and register with your local draft board. I find it awfully funny that we get up in arms about Assad using chemical weapons, but back in ’88 Saddam Hussein gassed the Kurds at Halabja and we blamed Iran. I guess being friends with a superpower has its perks.
Speaking of which…
Predictably, Putin has condemned our attack on Syria, and our useful allies have locked step. Trudeau is applauding Trump, and Trump’s base turned on a dime. Now in certain cryptofascist circles it’s fashionable to call for the complete and utter annihilation of the Assad regime. We are sliding into another war, sleepwalking into one, on the pretense of eliminating a morally bankrupt despot and saving an oppressed people from a life of toil and torment. Strange memories of 2003 tonight…
Look, I have no doubts that Assad carried out the gas attack on his people, and it’s the disgusting flailing of a regime that has a tenuous grip on reality and its country. It would be nobler for Assad to come to the table and agree to divide Syria along more practical lines rather than maintain the borders created a century ago by two disappeared Empires. Now Russia is trying to keep their vassal state on the Mediterranean, and it seems like the Trump administration is keen on creating a US-allied pact to counter Iran; Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, why not add Syria to the list? Afghanistan is in shambles, and Pakistan can always be kept in line with India.
Still, this is a dangerous gambit considering Russia’s role in the Syrian Civil War. I’d like to think that Putin is savvy, and would be willing to send Assad up shit creek nary a paddle in sight if he can keep a port at Damascus. Nevertheless, I could see Putin rallying his own idiots around the flagpole to fight the United States head on in Syria. Enough time has passed that the memories of World War II have been relegated to aging veterans warehoused in retirement facilities, or grainy footage aired on the History Channel late at night. The dogs of war are champing at the bit and the powers-that-be need a useful crisis to reaffirm the glory of their respective nations. Can’t have the working classes realize that they have more in common with each other than their leaders, no sir, why that would be bad for the bottom line! Ye gads! I don’t want to feed the narrative that World War III and The End are near, but a major war is imminent, and I’m afraid that Trump is too baffled and enamored with the idea of being a War President to avoid it.
A luta continua, the struggle continues.
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A.H. Jones 