SYRIA & LEBANON

STEPHEN COOPER—Like many countries in the world, Syria has legislation against cybercrime. The central plank of anti-cyber terrorism legislation is the Cybercrime Law 17/2012, updated in 2018. This law established the responsibility for monitoring cybercrimes in Syria and assigned it to the National Agency for Network Services (NANS). This responsibility is implemented by CERT Syria, which is the national Computer Emergency Response Team.

The 2018 amendment to the law required a cadre of judges in the intricacies of technology. This addressed a lack of comprehension of technical issues that previously made the judiciary incapable of properly adjudicating cybercrime cases.

The need for updated processes to combat cybercrime originates with a hacker team called the Syrian Electronic Army. This group is the main threat to internet security in Syria. However, their activities are sporadic, and the group has fallen dormant for long periods.

The Syrian Electronic Army has often been labeled by anti-Assad activists, writing from Western nations, as a branch of the Syrian government. However, no one has ever come up with any proof of a link.

KIT KLARENBERG—A tight-knit cast of characters has sought to destabilize the Syrian government by convincing Syrians, Western citizens, foreign states, and international bodies that the CIA-backed Free Syrian Army is a legitimate, “moderate” alternative, while flooding news across the globe with opposition propaganda. Its key actors have also played a central part in high-profile chemical weapon deceptions, participating in the attacks’ staging, generating media coverage, orchestrating official investigations and even legal actions, all with the clear goal of cultivating Western support for regime change. 

At the Geneva summit, President Biden of the US and President Putin of Russia announced the restoration of their ambassadors and agreed to new talks on vital issues. Meanwhile in Washington and major US media outlets, Russiagate-addled hawks promoted increased confrontation. James Carden analyzes the talks and the bellicose US media response. “US media outlets seem to be egging Biden on to take a harder line than than the President wanted to,” Carden says. “It’s a product of the last several years of Russiagate hysteria. But it also shows who make up the American press really don’t know that much about Russia or foreign policy.”

TyT’s Ana Kasparian would like the world to believe that she and Cenk Uygur are really serious and compassionate journalists, instead of imperialist shills,  reminds us Jimmy Dore. Meanwhile Kasparian’s sordid McCarthyite tactics and eager participation, along with Uygur, in the imperialist disinformation campaign to destroy Syria’s independence, speak volumes for her personal integrity.  Watching The Young Turks these days, let alone paying attention to what they have to say, should be proof of mental deficiency or critical information deficits, or both. 

Journalist Aaron Mate and [Tehran-based] Professor Mohammad Marandi just took a trip to Syria to see the real-life impact on average people caused by the decade-long Western regime-change war and suffocating US/EU sanctions. They speak about their trip with Max Blumenthal and Ben Norton of the Moderate Rebels podcast.