Page 47 - Shahrvand BC No.1236
P. 47
English Section
Robert Fisk: Beware wishful thinking.47
be involved – in Hezbollah’s case, there
is no “might” about it – in the same war.
Assad isn’t going soon Up to 40 Hezbollah fighters are now said
to have died in the Syrian conflict, most
in Shia Lebanese villages on the Syrian
side of the border. In Qusayr last week, at
least five Hezbollah fighters were killed.
The West has an odd habit of assuming dictators we don't like will simply disappear One of them, Assad Ali Assad – and here
we have a name, in case anyone cares to
deny the story – was buried in southern
Lebanon at the weekend.
Thursday 18 April 2013 But Hezbollah’s involvement is important
1392 تشهبیدرا6 جمعه- 1236 شماره/ سال متسیب because Iran and its allies are also part of
the reason for this conflict. And it remains
Syrians who settled down to listen to a fact, even though Assad did not – could
Bashar Assad’s independence day speech not – mention this in his independence
two nights ago were sorely disappointed. day speech, that Iran is the target of the
He didn’t exactly offer blood, sweat and Syrian war, the overthrow of Assad part
tears. Just more war, and the assurance of our plan to destroy his Iranian ally
that he would win. Up to 7,000 prisoners – just as it was part of Israel’s plan to
would be released to celebrate Syria’s deconstruct Iran by fighting Hezbollah in
freedom from French rule 67 years ago – Lebanon in 2006. Israel lost its war. Will
which goes to show how many prisoners Assad’s enemies lose, too?
are still held in the country’s jails – but We have, in London, Paris and
Assad wanted to assure his people that this Washington, an odd habit. We believe
really was a war. As if they didn’t know. that those dictators we don’t like will
It was not sectarian. Foreign news media actually go – “step down”, “step aside”,
were portraying a lie: that “a president lose the war, whatever phrase we like to
was holding on to his seat against a use – because we want them to go. Wasn’t
population who want him gone, but that is Saddam destroyed? Wasn’t Gaddafi
not the case”. France still regarded Syria liquidated? Didn’t Milosevic go to the
as its colony. Western nations wanted the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived.
Arabs to submit to them. “We saw their Kim Jong-un isn’t doing too badly, either
humanitarian intervention in Iraq, in – though that’s probably because he
Libya, and now we see it in Syria.” actually has nuclear weapons, as opposed
But Assad had a point. London, Paris Benghazi and Tripoli (having done away the autocratic and vicious state which to Iran which might or might not be trying
and Washington love exiles. Into Iraq, with the US ambassador), courtesy of slaughtered its own people in the Islamist to acquire them and thus remains on the
we tried to inject the ghastly and wealthy Nato air strikes against Gaddafi. If Algeria struggle of the 1990s and which remains Israeli-American target list. And here’s
exile Ahmed Chalabi. And we all know was not such a loyal ally of Syria, Assad a corrupt and corrupted regime to this day. some bad news for Assad’s foes.
how reliable he turned out to be. We might have pointed out that the French And then we have the Syrian “opposition”,
In touch with Iranian diversity pretended that Libya’s freedom fighters handed their colony over to the Algerian insofar as it exists, with its endless fraternal “The Syrian army is
were Homeric warriors; and now they exiles who had largely avoided the war arguments and juvenile infighting – what tired of corruption. It is
control their little Islamist fiefdoms in of independence – and who produced on earth does dear leader Khatib think he tired of party nepotism.
is doing? Has he resigned or not resigned?
– and its alliance with the very same al- It is becoming very angry
Qa’ida groupuscules that are supposed with those it blames for
to be the centre of jihadism in Mali. the war
Remember Mali? This was the centre of
world terror back in January. Now the
centre of world terror is supposed to be He mentioned the Syrian government
in northern Syria – fighting on “our” side army on Wednesday night. What he did
against the hated Assad. And we brave not do was refer to their recent expansion
Westerners are worried, supposedly, that
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ Bashar’s chemical weapons will fall “into of territory. His soldiers have now retaken
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ the wrong hands” – being presumably most of rebel Deraya and are advancing
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ in the “right hands” (Assad’s) now! It into Harasta in the suburbs of Damascus.
604 - 980 - 8571 makes you wonder who writes the Assad The 100-mile highway to Tartus, and thus
speeches. Can’t they do better than the to Latakia – long closed by the armed
opposition – has just been reopened by
curmudgeonly interview that Assad gave Assad’s divisions. For the first time in
Vol. 20 / No. 1236 - Friday, Apr. 26, 2013 on Wednesday night?
months, Syrians can now drive from
Damascus to the Mediterranean coast.
“ Remember Mali? This The rebels so beloved of Nato nations are
was the centre of world losing their hold of Damascus. Yes, they
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ terror back in January may get it back. The road to Latakia may
close again. This war – beware – may last
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ another two, three or more years. Nobody
But we still don’t understand the will win.
autocracies of the Middle East, both But the power that will have to be reckoned
those we love – Qatar, Saudi Arabia and with – barring some mass mutiny – will
other well-known freedom-loving, pro- be the Syrian army of Bashar Assad. It
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ American democracies – and those we is tired of corruption. It is tired of party
loathe – Syria, Iran, possibly a future nepotism. It is becoming very angry with
Iraq (if it doesn’t obey our orders) and those it blames for the war: not just al-
potentially Egypt (unless the army takes Qa’ida, al-Nusra, defectors and Nato,
over and returns the country to a Mubarak but with the intelligence services whose
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer lookalike). Never will I forget the fantasist brutality in Daraa struck the match to the
Daniel Pipes’ suggestion that what Iraq Syrian uprising. And just at the moment
needed in the aftermath of Saddam was “a it is fighting back against Assad’s
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- democratically minded strongman”. Isn’t enemies. Western “statesmen”, diplomats,
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- that what Assad would claim to be? “analysts” and those absurd think-tankers
And all the while, we are content to see so beloved of the networks may yet have
Arab nations ganging up on the Syrian to buy a new crystal ball.
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- regime, pushing more and more weapons
into the war – which is indeed, contrary to http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/
what Assad says, more and more sectarian comment/robert-fisk-beware-wishful-
NORTH SHORE LAW47 LLP – even though the Islamist al-Nusra thinking-assad-isnt-going-soon-8578513.
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. movement is now by far the strongest html
among the rebels. Yet we are outraged that
klotfali@northshorelaw.com Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah might
Robert Fisk: Beware wishful thinking.47
be involved – in Hezbollah’s case, there
is no “might” about it – in the same war.
Assad isn’t going soon Up to 40 Hezbollah fighters are now said
to have died in the Syrian conflict, most
in Shia Lebanese villages on the Syrian
side of the border. In Qusayr last week, at
least five Hezbollah fighters were killed.
The West has an odd habit of assuming dictators we don't like will simply disappear One of them, Assad Ali Assad – and here
we have a name, in case anyone cares to
deny the story – was buried in southern
Lebanon at the weekend.
Thursday 18 April 2013 But Hezbollah’s involvement is important
1392 تشهبیدرا6 جمعه- 1236 شماره/ سال متسیب because Iran and its allies are also part of
the reason for this conflict. And it remains
Syrians who settled down to listen to a fact, even though Assad did not – could
Bashar Assad’s independence day speech not – mention this in his independence
two nights ago were sorely disappointed. day speech, that Iran is the target of the
He didn’t exactly offer blood, sweat and Syrian war, the overthrow of Assad part
tears. Just more war, and the assurance of our plan to destroy his Iranian ally
that he would win. Up to 7,000 prisoners – just as it was part of Israel’s plan to
would be released to celebrate Syria’s deconstruct Iran by fighting Hezbollah in
freedom from French rule 67 years ago – Lebanon in 2006. Israel lost its war. Will
which goes to show how many prisoners Assad’s enemies lose, too?
are still held in the country’s jails – but We have, in London, Paris and
Assad wanted to assure his people that this Washington, an odd habit. We believe
really was a war. As if they didn’t know. that those dictators we don’t like will
It was not sectarian. Foreign news media actually go – “step down”, “step aside”,
were portraying a lie: that “a president lose the war, whatever phrase we like to
was holding on to his seat against a use – because we want them to go. Wasn’t
population who want him gone, but that is Saddam destroyed? Wasn’t Gaddafi
not the case”. France still regarded Syria liquidated? Didn’t Milosevic go to the
as its colony. Western nations wanted the Hague? All true. But Stalin survived.
Arabs to submit to them. “We saw their Kim Jong-un isn’t doing too badly, either
humanitarian intervention in Iraq, in – though that’s probably because he
Libya, and now we see it in Syria.” actually has nuclear weapons, as opposed
But Assad had a point. London, Paris Benghazi and Tripoli (having done away the autocratic and vicious state which to Iran which might or might not be trying
and Washington love exiles. Into Iraq, with the US ambassador), courtesy of slaughtered its own people in the Islamist to acquire them and thus remains on the
we tried to inject the ghastly and wealthy Nato air strikes against Gaddafi. If Algeria struggle of the 1990s and which remains Israeli-American target list. And here’s
exile Ahmed Chalabi. And we all know was not such a loyal ally of Syria, Assad a corrupt and corrupted regime to this day. some bad news for Assad’s foes.
how reliable he turned out to be. We might have pointed out that the French And then we have the Syrian “opposition”,
In touch with Iranian diversity pretended that Libya’s freedom fighters handed their colony over to the Algerian insofar as it exists, with its endless fraternal “The Syrian army is
were Homeric warriors; and now they exiles who had largely avoided the war arguments and juvenile infighting – what tired of corruption. It is
control their little Islamist fiefdoms in of independence – and who produced on earth does dear leader Khatib think he tired of party nepotism.
is doing? Has he resigned or not resigned?
– and its alliance with the very same al- It is becoming very angry
Qa’ida groupuscules that are supposed with those it blames for
to be the centre of jihadism in Mali. the war
Remember Mali? This was the centre of
world terror back in January. Now the
centre of world terror is supposed to be He mentioned the Syrian government
in northern Syria – fighting on “our” side army on Wednesday night. What he did
against the hated Assad. And we brave not do was refer to their recent expansion
Westerners are worried, supposedly, that
Lawyers ICBC ﻭﻛﻼ Bashar’s chemical weapons will fall “into of territory. His soldiers have now retaken
Claims ٦٠٤- ٩٨٢- ٤٠٥١ the wrong hands” – being presumably most of rebel Deraya and are advancing
604 - 982 - 4051 ٦٠٤- ٩٨٠ -٨٥٧١ in the “right hands” (Assad’s) now! It into Harasta in the suburbs of Damascus.
604 - 980 - 8571 makes you wonder who writes the Assad The 100-mile highway to Tartus, and thus
speeches. Can’t they do better than the to Latakia – long closed by the armed
opposition – has just been reopened by
curmudgeonly interview that Assad gave Assad’s divisions. For the first time in
Vol. 20 / No. 1236 - Friday, Apr. 26, 2013 on Wednesday night?
months, Syrians can now drive from
Damascus to the Mediterranean coast.
“ Remember Mali? This The rebels so beloved of Nato nations are
was the centre of world losing their hold of Damascus. Yes, they
ﺑﺮﺍی ﻣﺸﺎﻭﺭﻩ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ ﻟﻄﻔﺎ ﺑﺎ terror back in January may get it back. The road to Latakia may
close again. This war – beware – may last
ﺁﻗﺎی ﻛﺎﻣﻴﻞ ﻟﻄﻔﻌﻠﻰ another two, three or more years. Nobody
But we still don’t understand the will win.
autocracies of the Middle East, both But the power that will have to be reckoned
those we love – Qatar, Saudi Arabia and with – barring some mass mutiny – will
other well-known freedom-loving, pro- be the Syrian army of Bashar Assad. It
. ﺗﻤﺎﺱ ﺑﮕﻴﺮﻳﺪ،ﻭﻛﻴﻞ ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻰ ﺯﺑﺎﻥ American democracies – and those we is tired of corruption. It is tired of party
loathe – Syria, Iran, possibly a future nepotism. It is becoming very angry with
Iraq (if it doesn’t obey our orders) and those it blames for the war: not just al-
potentially Egypt (unless the army takes Qa’ida, al-Nusra, defectors and Nato,
over and returns the country to a Mubarak but with the intelligence services whose
Kamil Lotfali, lawyer lookalike). Never will I forget the fantasist brutality in Daraa struck the match to the
Daniel Pipes’ suggestion that what Iraq Syrian uprising. And just at the moment
needed in the aftermath of Saddam was “a it is fighting back against Assad’s
ﺳﺎﻝ ﺗﺠﺮﺑﻪ ﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ٣٠ ﻣﺆﺳﺴﻪﺣﻘﻮﻗﻰ "ﻧﻮﺭﺕﺷﻮﺭﻻ " ﺑﺎﺑﻴﺶﺍﺯ- democratically minded strongman”. Isn’t enemies. Western “statesmen”, diplomats,
ﺩﺳﺘﻤﺰﺩیﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﺨﻮﺍﻫﻴﻢﻛﺮﺩ، ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖﻧﻨﻤﺎﺋﻴﻢICBC ﺗﺎﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕﺷﻤﺎﺭﺍ ﺍﺯ- that what Assad would claim to be? “analysts” and those absurd think-tankers
And all the while, we are content to see so beloved of the networks may yet have
Arab nations ganging up on the Syrian to buy a new crystal ball.
ICBC ﺩﺭﻳﺎﻓﺖ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﺧﺴﺎﺭﺕ ﺟﺎﻧﻰ ﻭ ﻣﺎﻟﻰ ﺍﺯ- regime, pushing more and more weapons
into the war – which is indeed, contrary to http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/
what Assad says, more and more sectarian comment/robert-fisk-beware-wishful-
NORTH SHORE LAW47 LLP – even though the Islamist al-Nusra thinking-assad-isnt-going-soon-8578513.
6th Floor, 171 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, B.C. movement is now by far the strongest html
among the rebels. Yet we are outraged that
klotfali@northshorelaw.com Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah might
