Obama's Syria War Is Really About Iran and Israel
By Bob Dreyfuss
The dirty little not-so-secret behind President Obamas much-lobbied-for, illegal and strategically incompetent war against Syria is that its not about Syria at all. Its about Iranand Israel. And it has been from the start.
By the start, I mean 2011, when the Obama administration gradually became convinced that it could deal Iran a mortal blow by toppling President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, a secular, Baathist strongman who is, despite all, an ally of Irans. Since then, taking Iran down a peg has been the driving force behind Obamas Syria policy.
Not coincidentally, the White House plans to scare members of Congress into supporting the ill-conceived war plan by waving the Iranian flag in their faces. Even liberal Democrats, some of whom are opposing or questioning war with Syria, blanch at the prospect of opposing Obama and the Israel lobby over Iran.
Please support our journalism. Get a digital subscription for just $9.50!
Item for consideration: a new column by the Syria analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the chief think tank of the Israel lobby. Andrew Tabler headlines his piece: Attacking Syria Is the Best Way to Deal with Iran. In it, he says:
At first glance, the festering Syria crisis seems bad news for diplomatic efforts to keep Iran from developing nuclear capabilities. In actuality, however, achieving U.S. objectives in the Syria crisis is an opportunity to pressure Iran into making hard choices not only in Syria, but regarding its nuclear program as well. More U.S. involvement to achieve its objectives in Syria will inevitably run counter to Tehrans interests, be it to punish the Assad regime for chemical weapons use or to show support for the Syrian opposition in changing Assads calculus and forcing him to step aside at the negotiating table or on the battlefield.
more...
http://www.thenation.com/blog/176040/obamas-syria-war-really-about-iran-and-israel#