From villains to heroes: The Empire's ridiculous narrative about Al Qaeda

Ulson Gunnar
New Eastern Outlook

Syrian President Bashar al Assad would seem like a natural ally to the United States and the European Union. He heads a secular government and presides over a secular nation. It is a nation where extremist political factions like the Muslim Brotherhood are outlawed and armed terrorist groups hunted down and eliminated. There was even a point in history before the 2011 war began within and along Syria's borders that Washington even feigned such an alliance with Damascus.

The London Telegraph in its article, "John Kerry and Bashar al-Assad dined in Damascus," reported:

Mr Kerry visited Damascus in February 2009, when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He said in a press conference during the visit: "President Barack Obama's administration considers Syria a key player in Washington's efforts to revive the stalled Middle East peace process.

"Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region."

Mr Kerry met with Mr Assad at least six times, and on one occasion - seen in the photographs - dining with the two men's wives at the Naranj restaurant in central Damascus.

Though the US considered at the time Syria to be a "state sponsor of terrorism," that was only because of its support of Lebanon's Hezbollah, not Al Qaeda and its affiliates who the US Army's own reports indicate the government was working against even during the US occupation of Iraq when Syria was used as an entry point into the country along its southern borders. Ironically, the US Army's reports would indicate that many of the networks now considered "rebels," were involved in facilitating Al Qaeda's transit through Syrian territory into Iraq to kill Americans using Saudi cash.

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