Trump’s Proposed Safe Zones in Syria Risk Escalated War
Dispatches from
STEPHEN LENDMAN
T rump saying he’ll “absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people” has nothing to do with protecting them, if implemented. It’s about keeping refugees out of Europe and America. It’s continued US interventionism abroad, what he rhetorically opposed.
Stepping into the royal mess that Obama and the Neocons created…
TRUMP’S BRAND OF STUPID, HALF-DIGESTED, IMPULSIVE SCHEMES THREATEN WORLD PEACE. THE BEST ROAD TO WORLD PEACE IS FOR THE US TO HALT ITS INTERVENTIONISM. PERIOD.
If Trump wittingly, imprudently or clumsily foments war against Syria, Russia, China or other nations, the MOST IMPORTANT reason for giving him some space and preferring him to the Neocon-infested Clinton machine, will have evaporated. Ironic that the world should depend now on the calmer heads of some top US military brass. Again, it bears repeating. Those that continue to see the problem humanity faces as one issuing from the arrival of Donald Trump on the scene and the reign of his chosen plutocrats miss the point are being worse than myopic. Seeing a partial reality is useless. It was the Bush-Clinton-Obama triangle that created this horrid situation, Obama and his corporatist MIC Democrats in particular. Thinking that getting rid of Trump will fix things is delusional. The Democrats and the plutocracy they front for must be dealt with equal vigor. —The Editor
The best way to protect Syrians is by stopping support for ISIS and other terrorist groups attacking them. If good faith US efforts are made to restore peace, including heavy pressure on Gulf states and Israel to support conflict resolution, they’ll all be safe. His executive order titled “Protecting the Nation From Terrorist Attacks From Foreign Nationals” suspends immigration from targeted Muslim countries.
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A separate draft EO authorizes the establishment of safe zones for Syrian civilians, saying “(p)ursuant to the cessation of refugee processing for Syrian nationals, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, is directed within 90 days of the date of this order to produce a plan to provide safe areas in Syria and in the surrounding region in which Syrian nationals displaced from their homeland can await firm settlement, such as repatriation or potential third-country resettlement.”
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Trump’s proposal is a prescription for escalated war, not resolution. It’s hard imagining Russia, Iran and Syria going along with his scheme. Putin and Trump will discuss it on Saturday among other issues. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia wasn’t informed about Trump’s plan. He’s acting unilaterally or in cahoots with NATO and regional partners – violating Syrian sovereignty if instituted, lessening chances for conflict resolution.
Peskov warned about possible consequences of this action, saying it’s important not to “exacerbate the situation.” Trump is expected to instruct the Pentagon and State Department to complete a plan for establishing safe zones within 90 days after his order is signed. It lacks details of where they’ll be located, how they’ll be protected, how much the scheme will cost, whether a no-fly zone will be implemented, and the risk of US/Russia confrontation over this very sensitive issue. Safe zones will illegally redraw Syria’s map, violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity, what Damascus and Moscow strongly oppose.
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Last year, Joint Chiefs chairman General Joseph (“fighting Joe”) Dunford said implementing safe and no-fly zones “require(s) us to go to war with Syria and Russia.” Former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin Dempsey warned about greater intervention in Syria, including the perils of establishing safe and no-fly zones, saying it could involve thousands of US troops. Costs could run “in the billions.” The plan requires “hundreds of ground and sea-based aircraft, intelligence and electronic warfare support, and enablers for refueling and communications.”
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Dempsey estimated over $1 billion a month in cost, explaining around 70,000 US troops would be needed, warning the entire scheme could backfire. Greater regional conflict could follow, turning a bad situation into potential disaster. Syria needs humanitarian aid, peace, stability, reconstruction, and employment for its displaced people so they can begin rebuilding their lives. Obama’s war wrecked them. Greater US intervention for the wrong reasons risks escalated conflict instead of all-out efforts to resolve it. Trump’s safe zones scheme sounds more like a declaration of war than a good faith effort to end it.
Putin and Trump Have Lots to Discuss
They’ll speak by phone Saturday evening Moscow time, the first conversation between both leaders since Trump’s inauguration. He expressed eagerness to get along with his Russian counterpart, calling bilateral relations “horrible,” saying working cooperatively to combat ISIS is a good thing. Surely the possibility will be discussed in the context of defeating this scourge, combating terrorism overall, and resolving Syria’s long-running conflict.
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Obama launched it for regime change, raped and destroyed the country. He bears full responsibility for hundreds of thousands of deaths, mostly defenseless civilians, along with displacing half the population internally and externally. Trump intending safe zones, perhaps no-fly ones along with them, will surely be discussed – a reckless scheme risking escalated war, not a prescription for resolving it – Moscow, Damascus, Tehran and anti-war activists worldwide strongly against what Trump announced. He acted unilaterally without consulting Russia. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned about “excerbat(ing) the situation.” Without permission from Damascus, establishing safe zones is illegal. Assad strongly opposes them. So does Putin.
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He’ll invite Trump to get involved in Geneva peace talks next month. Responsible US participation is essential to have any chance for conflict resolution. Obama began it. Trump can end it by working cooperatively with Russia and other countries involved in talks. America’s provocative military footprint near Russia’s borders is another key issue for Putin. So is lifting sanctions, illegally imposed, even though they proved beneficial to Russia, creating greater self-sufficiency. They failed to marginalize, contain, weaken and isolate the country, or damage it economically. They facilitated more durable Sino/Russia unity – both countries cooperating on major issues an important counterbalance to NATO.
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Everything US-led Western countries threw at Vladimir Putin had the opposite effect intended, making Russia more resilient, self-reliant and independently strong while US influence wanes. Sanctions will be lifted. It’s just a matter of when. They never should have been imposed in the first place, Washington and US allies it pressured acting solely for political reasons. Of major concern is reducing tensions between the world’s two dominant nuclear powers, taking steps to normalize relations, cooperating with each other instead of remaining adversaries without just cause.
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During his Friday press conference with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump said it’s “very early” to discuss lifting sanctions. May wants them maintained. Putin may or may not tell Trump Russia didn’t interfere with America’s election. His US counterpart believes it despite saying otherwise after his intelligence community briefing. Earlier he called Russian interference “ridiculous.” He knows claiming it is a scheme to undermine his legitimacy. He’s well aware Putin wants adversarial relations ended. It’s up to Trump. It’s his call if he’s strong-willed enough to do the right thing despite overwhelming polar opposite Washington sentiment.
NOTE: ALL IMAGE CAPTIONS, PULL QUOTES AND COMMENTARY BY THE EDITORS, NOT THE AUTHORS • CONTINUE THE DEBATE ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE. CLICK HERE.
MAIN IMAGE: Top US General Joseph Dunford Warns Senator ABOUT PROBABLE WW3 With Russia, if eddling in Syria continues.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
STEPHEN LENDMAN lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." ( http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html ) Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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