Brian Becker -- ‘America's Schizophrenic policy in Syria: fighting the force that fights terrorists’

‘America's Schizophrenic policy in Syria: fighting the force that fights terrorists’

Published time: 28 May, 2016 17:17Edited time: 29 May, 2016 07:57

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© Bassam Khabieh / Reuters

US foreign policy in Syria is schizophrenic and opportunist as they are combating the Assad government, which has done the bulk of the fighting against Islamic State and the terrorists in general, Brian Becker, from the anti-war ANSWER Coalition told RT.

RT: What’s your take on US funding and training so-called moderate rebels in Syria?

Brian Becker: The US military program, whereby the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency, vets, trains, funds, and sends Syrian rebels' armed groups into battle has been a complete fiasco. The utter destruction, or near destruction now of the Syrian national army coming as it does following the destruction of the so-called Free Syrian Army shows that the entire plan by the US is a complete catastrophe.

Syrian rebels, real Syrian patriots, or Syrian nationalists, no matter what they’ll be, for their opposition to the Assad government would be trained by the CIA, would get their money from the CIA, given the CIA’s terrible role in the Middle East undermining pan-Arabism, Arab nationalism and the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people.

All of this, this entire program, is now up in smoke. The American people are told, “These are the good, the moderate rebels. They have the good housekeeping seal of approval from the CIA.” But they don’t exist. They are a fantasy, and when they go into battle, and when they hold territory, they have been decimated by so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) or DAESH.

RT: Reportedly, the US weapon often gets into the wrong hands. What do you make of that?

BB: I think what it proves when the American government sends weapons and soldiers and those soldiers defect to ISIS, or send their weapons to ISIS – that there is a toxic interconnection, intertangling of the real opportunism on the part of the US; opportunism on the part of those so-called rebels or freedom fighters, who are getting their arms, weapons, and money from the CIA. And you have proxy governments in the region: Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who are opening up the check book, making the rivers flow with money from their own national treasuries to support armed opposition groups, so they get a better deal, more money. They function really not as freedom fighters, but as mercenaries and they go to wherever the greatest can be made. Of course that is with ISIS, Al-Nusra, the Army of Conquest, not the so-called moderate rebels.

RT: How would you describe the current American policy in Syria?

BB: I think the US has a schizophrenic and I would say purely opportunist foreign policy when it comes to Syria. Its real objective from the beginning was to overthrow the Assad government, when the US almost began in August and September 2013 the bombing of Syria. There was no discussion at all of the existential menace posed by ISIS. It was all directed against the Assad government. Even the so-called new Syrian Army, which just has been virtually destroyed – they had to sigh an oath, given to them by the CIA – that they are not only going to fight ISIS, but fight the Assad government. You can’t really fight against the Assad government, which is done the bulk of the fighting against the terrorists and against ISIS. And at the same time support the armed groups that are fighting against the Syrian government. That is a schizophrenic foreign policy and it is a catastrophe.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.