The Trump administration, despite its claim of non-intervention in peaceful efforts to solve global issues, has, instead, escalated its military involvement in the Middle East. The administration’s actions may seem illogical, but a closer look at those in power evidences that the elite in Washington are infatuated with projecting power and that religious zealotry is the driving force behind their activities.
In shooting down a Syrian fighter jet that was carrying out a mission against ISIS and other terrorist groups, the Trump administration sent a powerful message: the government of Syria has no right to eliminate terrorists operating in Syria. The U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying the Syrian jet was downed “in collective self-defense of Coalition-partnered forces.” Though the U.S. Central Command, acknowledged that there were no U.S. forces in the “immediate vicinity” where the Syrian jet was operating, it decided to shoot it down anyway.
The justification given by the U.S. Central Command, in defending its coalition partnership, is at best misleading. The coalition forces are trained and equipped by Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. to engage in violent activities aimed at destabilizing Syria, destroying its infrastructure, and inciting sectarian and ethnic strife. Denying the Syrian government its right to establish law and order and to protect its citizens is a violation of international law and hypocritical.
So why did Washington’s elite order the shooting of a Syrian fighter jet within Syrian borders? Experts have consistently pointed to the fact that Washington’s Middle East policy is governed by three factors: Israeli influence, Saudi lobbyists, and business prospects. Israeli influence, since the early 1960s, has profoundly changed the political landscape in Washington. Though, since the 1980s, the Washington elite has espoused the notion that what serves Israeli interests serves the U.S., the successful promotion by neoconservatives that Israel represents God’s Kingdom on earth and thus serving Israel’s interests is a divine duty has deeply changed the U.S. approach to the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal reported (June 18) that “The Israeli army is in regular communication with rebel groups and its assistance includes undisclosed payments to commanders that help pay salaries of fighters and buy ammunition and weapons.” For Israel, Syria has been the last Arab country with a healthy economy, vibrant skilled labor, and a functional army. Thus, destroying Syria and incapacitating its institutions, as was done in Iraq, has been an overriding goal for Israel and its lobby in Washington.
Even though the Trump administration has not deviated from previous administrations, be they Democrats or Republicans, in its support of Israel, it has left the Middle East policy to individuals who firmly believe that Israel is God‘s Kingdom on earth. For instance, Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, David Friedman, Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Nikki Haley, and Stephen Miller are known for their unwavering support of Israeli policy at any expense. These individuals consider instability in the region as a precursor to Israeli supremacy and view a healthy and unified Syria as a defiance of a divine order.
The aim of Saudi Arabia, in terms of Syria, and to a large degree the whole region, coincides with Israeli goals. For decades, the Saudi ruling family has been successful in persuading its public that the stability and safety of the country are direct outcomes of its prudent administration. Generations of citizens have never questioned this notion and have shown their appreciation to the ruling family.
Like Iraq and Libya, Syria has often criticized the Saudi approach to the region. The decision to destabilize Syria was taken in 2006 when the Assad regime did not heed the Saudis’ demands that Syria exert pressure on Lebanese resistance forces to stop fighting Israel’s invasion troops. What is called the Arab Spring became a turning point when Saudi Arabia used its religious channels and financial power to recruit fighters from all over the globe to remove the Assad regime. In Washington, the Saudi ruling family also organized an army of lobbyists to persuade the Obama administration to destabilize Syria.
The Trump administration has willingly and enthusiastically adopted the Saudis’ strategic goals in the region. Indeed, the Trump administration, like its counterpart in Israel, believe that the Saudis’ strategic approach to destabilizing Syria, and the region in general, serves Israel’s long-term interests. This development will eventually lead to further bloodshed and constitutes the inauguration of a dark era in the Middle East.
Business interests are a potent factor in the shooting down of the Syrian jet. This factor encompasses two aspects: perpetual conflicts in the region facilitate buying weapons from the U.S., and military leaders and politicians understand that going along with Saudi Arabia will enable them, in the future, to get lucrative consulting contracts with the kingdom. The first aspect has generated contracts for billions of dollars’ worth of armaments from the U.S. and deepened the dependency of the kingdom on Washington.
Weakening Syria and fragmenting it into rival regions according to sectarian and ethnic lines offers Washington’s elite an opportunity to gain the approval of Israel and its powerful lobby and to keep the region in perpetual chaos. While this goal is a priority for the elite in Washington, the message that Washington sends in downing the fighter jet of an independent state has far reaching consequences. It conveys a message that the sovereignties of other countries in the era of Trump are meaningless and that U.S. military might is in the service of foreign entities.
Abbas J. Ali is a distinguished university professor, Eberly College of Business and IT, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
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Washington’s message in the downing of a Syrian jet attacking ISIS
Posted on July 3, 2017 by Abbas J. Ali
The Trump administration, despite its claim of non-intervention in peaceful efforts to solve global issues, has, instead, escalated its military involvement in the Middle East. The administration’s actions may seem illogical, but a closer look at those in power evidences that the elite in Washington are infatuated with projecting power and that religious zealotry is the driving force behind their activities.
In shooting down a Syrian fighter jet that was carrying out a mission against ISIS and other terrorist groups, the Trump administration sent a powerful message: the government of Syria has no right to eliminate terrorists operating in Syria. The U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying the Syrian jet was downed “in collective self-defense of Coalition-partnered forces.” Though the U.S. Central Command, acknowledged that there were no U.S. forces in the “immediate vicinity” where the Syrian jet was operating, it decided to shoot it down anyway.
The justification given by the U.S. Central Command, in defending its coalition partnership, is at best misleading. The coalition forces are trained and equipped by Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. to engage in violent activities aimed at destabilizing Syria, destroying its infrastructure, and inciting sectarian and ethnic strife. Denying the Syrian government its right to establish law and order and to protect its citizens is a violation of international law and hypocritical.
So why did Washington’s elite order the shooting of a Syrian fighter jet within Syrian borders? Experts have consistently pointed to the fact that Washington’s Middle East policy is governed by three factors: Israeli influence, Saudi lobbyists, and business prospects. Israeli influence, since the early 1960s, has profoundly changed the political landscape in Washington. Though, since the 1980s, the Washington elite has espoused the notion that what serves Israeli interests serves the U.S., the successful promotion by neoconservatives that Israel represents God’s Kingdom on earth and thus serving Israel’s interests is a divine duty has deeply changed the U.S. approach to the Middle East.
The Wall Street Journal reported (June 18) that “The Israeli army is in regular communication with rebel groups and its assistance includes undisclosed payments to commanders that help pay salaries of fighters and buy ammunition and weapons.” For Israel, Syria has been the last Arab country with a healthy economy, vibrant skilled labor, and a functional army. Thus, destroying Syria and incapacitating its institutions, as was done in Iraq, has been an overriding goal for Israel and its lobby in Washington.
Even though the Trump administration has not deviated from previous administrations, be they Democrats or Republicans, in its support of Israel, it has left the Middle East policy to individuals who firmly believe that Israel is God‘s Kingdom on earth. For instance, Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, David Friedman, Ezra Cohen-Watnick, Nikki Haley, and Stephen Miller are known for their unwavering support of Israeli policy at any expense. These individuals consider instability in the region as a precursor to Israeli supremacy and view a healthy and unified Syria as a defiance of a divine order.
The aim of Saudi Arabia, in terms of Syria, and to a large degree the whole region, coincides with Israeli goals. For decades, the Saudi ruling family has been successful in persuading its public that the stability and safety of the country are direct outcomes of its prudent administration. Generations of citizens have never questioned this notion and have shown their appreciation to the ruling family.
Like Iraq and Libya, Syria has often criticized the Saudi approach to the region. The decision to destabilize Syria was taken in 2006 when the Assad regime did not heed the Saudis’ demands that Syria exert pressure on Lebanese resistance forces to stop fighting Israel’s invasion troops. What is called the Arab Spring became a turning point when Saudi Arabia used its religious channels and financial power to recruit fighters from all over the globe to remove the Assad regime. In Washington, the Saudi ruling family also organized an army of lobbyists to persuade the Obama administration to destabilize Syria.
The Trump administration has willingly and enthusiastically adopted the Saudis’ strategic goals in the region. Indeed, the Trump administration, like its counterpart in Israel, believe that the Saudis’ strategic approach to destabilizing Syria, and the region in general, serves Israel’s long-term interests. This development will eventually lead to further bloodshed and constitutes the inauguration of a dark era in the Middle East.
Business interests are a potent factor in the shooting down of the Syrian jet. This factor encompasses two aspects: perpetual conflicts in the region facilitate buying weapons from the U.S., and military leaders and politicians understand that going along with Saudi Arabia will enable them, in the future, to get lucrative consulting contracts with the kingdom. The first aspect has generated contracts for billions of dollars’ worth of armaments from the U.S. and deepened the dependency of the kingdom on Washington.
Weakening Syria and fragmenting it into rival regions according to sectarian and ethnic lines offers Washington’s elite an opportunity to gain the approval of Israel and its powerful lobby and to keep the region in perpetual chaos. While this goal is a priority for the elite in Washington, the message that Washington sends in downing the fighter jet of an independent state has far reaching consequences. It conveys a message that the sovereignties of other countries in the era of Trump are meaningless and that U.S. military might is in the service of foreign entities.
Abbas J. Ali is a distinguished university professor, Eberly College of Business and IT, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.