The Moral Bankruptcy Of Pro-Assad Westerners

They come in all shapes and sizes. Young, old, radical left and ultra right. Some of them are super rich and others barely scrape by. There is one exception though. The pro-Assad conglomerate in the West is largely white. They have all been cheerleading Bashar al-Assad, the infamous Syrian dictator who has killed over 400,000 of his own people. Although there had been a smooth sailing, one event abruptly jolted them out of their comfort zone. The 59 Tomahawk missiles that rained down on the Al-Shayrak airbase in Syria have put them on their feet. Since then, they have revved up their well-lubed propaganda machines.

There are two broad divisions among this demographic. The first one comprises of those who are misled by their naivete. The second group is well aware of the ground realities but chooses to spin and twist facts to suit its narrative, which can be categorized as a new form of imperialism with Islamophobic undertones.

The alt-right has never tried to conceal its love for the Assad regime. They also dont hide their complete disdain for anything remotely associated with Islam or Muslims. Thus Assad, who is a Shiite Muslim but claims to be secular, is a darling. His wife wears sleeveless dresses and people like David Duke cant take their eyes off. Ann Coulter, Info Wars, Richard Spencer and numerous other alt-right personalities and platforms wax eloquent about the secular dictator who can take on the evil Islamic terrorists. They cheer him on as his army drops barrel bombs and levels entire neighborhoods.

A large number of radical left also tend to agree with the alt-right on this. There is a strange convergence of interests, a marriage of convenience if you will. Tulsi Gabbard, a serving US congresswoman from Hawaii, exemplifies the bigotry of the radical left . Coming from a dubious past where she once was a member of a controversial cult Gabbard takes no prisoners in advocating for the Assad regime. Her mantra is the same as that of her friends in the alt-right camp: Assad is a great secular dictator who is helping us in fighting the scourge of terrorism. So what if he tends to decimate entire cities in the process? That is only a minor price to pay in the great war against terror.

Robert Fisk is another radical left commentator who has long advocated in favor of the regime. His reportage from the region reeks of bias, more so since he claims to be an anti-establishment figure. In a recent piece on the siege of Aleppo, Fisk was more concerned about saving the ancient ruins of Palmyra than protecting civilians. Although he tried to couch his narrative in a sugar-coated rhetoric, Fisk ended up shamelessly advocating the removal of all the treasures of the Middle East to Western museums . If that is not the height of imperialism and White Mans Burden then what is?

The so-called anti-imperialists also cant explain the support extended to the Kurdish militias. They have been able to create semi-autonomous zones in Iraq and Syria and plan to replicate that success in Turkey. Another Western-sanctioned division on the cards?

To set the record straight, Assad is not a secular dictator. He is an Alawite Shiite Muslim who has filled the top echelons of his army and bureaucracy with his own ilk. Those pleading on his behalf can be taken at face value if Assad were a truly independent dictator of a sovereign state. For arguments sake and by ridding oneself of any remnants of humanity one could give Assad a chance. After all, archaic definitions of state sovereignty entrust the rulers with complete monopoly over violence. In reality, however, Assad is not a sovereign ruler. Hes a mere stooge of Iran.

Recent estimates put the total number of regime forces at 20,000 , while the Iranians, Hezbollah and scores of Shiite militias hired from as far off places as Afghanistan and Pakistan number 150,000. Iranians have been present in Syria since 2011, when they directed the brutal crackdowns on protesters. Many top-ranking Iranian generals have died in action and the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qassem Soleimani, is the top regime hand. Iranian passenger jets supply weapons and ferry foreign fighters to and from Syria. Then there is the financial lifeline extended to the regime, numbering in billions of dollars a year. Those advocating a secular ruler are, in fact, rooting for a murderous theocracy that exports terror across the region and beyond.

President Barack Obama took great pride in resisting the pressure to strike Syria on the eve of the Ghouta chemical attacks in 2013, which killed over 1,400 people. He told in not so many words to Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic that US couldnt care less about the suffering in Syria (as it was not a national interest). The least the Nobel Committee can do is to rescind the honor of the Peace Prize bestowed on him. Obama doesnt deserve that. His intransigence turned into a major security quagmire as unabated violence by the regime gave birth to Daesh. The rest, as they say, is history.

Reality check: It was Assads plan to release thousands of militants from prisons to disrupt the peaceful protests. His regime has long cooperated with Daesh and other terror outfits, buying oil and extending other favors. Its truly a symbiotic relationship. Americans should stop thinking about eliminating the parasite of Daesh if they cant take out the host.

They will not do that. The show-off strikes, which caused little damage, will not deter the regime. Everyone was alerted in advance and the base became operational within a few hours . Thus the jets will continue flying; barrel bombs will continue dropping; and Syrians will continue dying. The pro-Assad group should rather stop making their catcalls. Daddy Assad is here to stay.