Syria
G8 calls for peace talks to provide cover for US war preparations against Syria
By Chris Marsden, 19 June 2013
While the G8 summit formally agreed to peace negotiations in Geneva next month, behind the scenes the US is making plans for a no-fly zone in Syria.
No to war in Syria!
By Bill Van Auken, 18 June 2013
The Obama administration’s military intervention in Syria in pursuit of geostrategic goals constitutes a wholly criminal act of aggression.
G8 summit rent by divisions over Syria
By Chris Marsden, 18 June 2013
Relations between Russia and Britain have become overtly hostile, with Russia making clear that its response to the US arming the Syrian opposition would be to continue arming the Assad regime.
US inflames sectarian tensions to escalate war in Syria
By Johannes Stern and Alex Lantier, 17 June 2013
With their proxy forces facing defeat within Syria, US and European officials are calling for an escalation of the imperialist war for regime-change.
Obama moves to escalate Syrian slaughter
By Bill Van Auken, 15 June 2013
For the second time in a decade, the White House, the Congress, both major parties and the media are seeking to drag the American people into a war based on lies.
Pretext for a new war: Obama lies about Syrian chemical weapons
By Peter Symonds, 14 June 2013
The bogus claims about the use of sarin nerve gas will be used by the US to justify its arming right-wing Islamist proxies in Syria and for military intervention.
Turkey, Syria and the hypocrisy of US imperialism
By Bill Van Auken, 14 June 2013
The social upheavals in Turkey, arguably Washington’s most important regional ally, have torn to shreds the phony democratic pretenses and exposed the hypocrisy of US policy in the region.
US-backed “rebels” carry out sectarian massacre in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 13 June 2013
At least 60 people, including women, children and elderly people, were killed in a massacre of Shia Muslims by US-backed Syrian “rebels.”
White House convenes meetings on Syria escalation
By Bill Van Auken, 11 June 2013
The Obama White House is convening meetings this week to discuss measures to escalate the US-backed war for regime-change in Syria.
US threatens Iran, Hezbollah for backing Syria
By Chris Marsden, 7 June 2013
Washington has threatened Iran and the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah as “partners in tyranny” for their support of the Assad regime in Syria.
Syria: UN report reveals opposition crimes as imperialist powers push for intervention
By Johannes Stern, 5 June 2013
A new UN report sheds light on the increasing brutality of the Syrian war, which threatens to trigger a major international war.
Syrian opposition forces launch rocket attacks in Lebanon
By Thomas Gaist, 4 June 2013
US-backed Syrian opposition forces pummeled Shia targets in Lebanon as Hezbollah fighters continued massing near Aleppo.
Syrian opposition fighters arrested with chemical weapons
By Bill Van Auken, 1 June 2013
Initial Turkish press reports said that members of the Al Nusra Front were found with sarin gas, while subsequent official statements referred to unidentified chemical materials.
Imperialism, Syria, and the threat of world war
By Alex Lantier, 31 May 2013
As Washington and its allies escalate their proxy war to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the conflict is on the brink of triggering a major international war.
Imperialist powers threaten to escalate intervention as Assad beats back opposition
By Johannes Stern, 30 May 2013
Plans for so-called “peace talks” on the Syrian war have broken down, as the Syrian army and its regional allies beat back US-backed Sunni Islamist opposition forces.
Syria escalation poses growing risk of regional war
By Bill Van Auken, 29 May 2013
In the wake of the European Union’s vote to lift a ban on directly arming Western-backed “rebels,” there is a mounting threat of a wider conflagration.
European powers lift embargo, move to arm Syrian opposition
By Johannes Stern, 28 May 2013
On Monday the foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) met in Brussels and agreed not to renew the arms embargo against Syria.
US, EU poised to escalate intervention as Syrian war spreads to Lebanon
By Thomas Gaist, 27 May 2013
The spread of fighting from Syria to Lebanon and growing US and European efforts to arm the Syrian opposition point to looming region-wide conflagration.
US and allies step up war preparations against Syria, Lebanon, Iran
By Chris Marsden, 25 May 2013
The United States and its allies continue to escalate their military aggression against Syria, behind the smokescreen of a proposed international peace conference scheduled for June in Geneva.
Behind Syria peace talks proposal, US prepares regional war
By Bill Van Auken, 23 May 2013
While touring the Middle East ostensibly to discuss joint US-Russian peace talks on Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry met with US allies to prepare for region-wide war.
Israel, US threaten war with Syria as sectarian fighting spreads across region
By Alex Lantier, 22 May 2013
Israeli and Syrian forces exchanged fire in the Golan Heights yesterday, amid rising US and Israeli threats of direct intervention in the US-led proxy war in Syria.
European powers fund Al Qaeda looting of Syrian oil
By Johannes Stern, 20 May 2013
The European Union is funding Al Qaeda-linked groups in Syria by purchasing oil they have looted in eastern Syria.
Video shows US-backed opposition fighter cannibalizing Syrian soldier
By Alex Lantier, 16 May 2013
The video makes clear the barbaric character of the Islamic fundamentalist forces the US has mobilized in its proxy war against Syria.
Obama, Cameron hold Syria war summit in Washington
By Alex Lantier and Chris Marsden, 14 May 2013
The US and British heads of government discussed stepping up their campaign for war in Syria as well as plans for intervening throughout the Middle East.
Reports suggest Syrian opposition involvement in Turkish bombings
By Thomas Gaist, 14 May 2013
Despite evidence that groups involved in the campaign against the Syrian regime were behind the bombings, Turkish leaders are pushing to use them as a pretext for war.
Bombings rock Turkish-Syrian border
By Thomas Gaist, 13 May 2013
In response to bombings in the city of Reyhanli, Turkish leaders are demanding an acceleration of the US war drive against Syria.
The International Socialist Organization and the imperialist onslaught against Syria
By David North and Alex Lantier, 11 May 2013
The ISO’s May 1 statement “Solidarity with the Syrian revolution” is written in support of the imperialist-orchestrated conspiracy to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
US prepares war with Syria as pro-US opposition loses ground
By Thomas Gaist, 10 May 2013
Faced with serious defeats of its proxy forces, the US is scrambling to ramp up diplomatic and military pressure on the Syrian regime.
US shrugs off Syrian opposition’s chemical weapons use, presses for war
By Thomas Gaist, 8 May 2013
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney summarily rejected the UN investigator’s report without offering a shred of evidence to refute her statement.
UN says US-backed opposition, not Syrian regime, used poison gas
By Alex Lantier, 7 May 2013
UN investigator Carla del Ponte’s statements explode the propaganda lie that the US is preparing to attack Syria to defend its people from chemical weapons.
The Israeli strikes on Syria
By Alex Lantier, 6 May 2013
The Israeli strikes in Syria are unprovoked and illegal acts of war, abetted by Washington and its European allies as part of their escalating campaign against Syria.
A crass apology for imperialist intervention in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 4 May 2013
In the midst of a growing drumbeat for direct Western intervention in Syria, Gilbert Achcar dismisses questions about imperialist interests in the region as a “conspiracy theory.”
US defense secretary says Washington weighs arming of Syrian insurgency
By Bill Van Auken, 3 May 2013
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a Pentagon press conference Thursday that the US is “rethinking” its policy on arming the so-called rebels in Syria.
International law and the US war drive in Syria
By Joseph Kishore, 2 May 2013
The fundamental issue involved in Washington’s intervention in Syria is not the nature of the Assad government, but the nature of US imperialism.
US pledges to arm Syrian opposition as new terror bombing hits Damascus
By Alex Lantier, 1 May 2013
Senior Obama administration officials announced yesterday that the US will directly arm the Islamist opposition fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Braying for war against Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 30 April 2013
A campaign of lies and propaganda about the alleged use of chemical weapons is steadily escalating in preparation for a US war against Syria.
Washington fabricates chemical weapons pretext for war against Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 27 April 2013
Seeking to pave the way for a predatory war, Washington, its NATO allies and Israel are all fabricating charges that Syria used chemical weapons.
Washington’s threat to invade Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 26 April 2013
US allegations of chemical weapons use by government forces have brought Washington to the brink of war with Syria.
US finalises arms deals with Israel, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
By Jean Shaoul, 25 April 2013
The United States is flooding the Middle East with armaments, a further sign that the preparations for military intervention against Syria are ultimately aimed at Iran.
US ramps up plans for military intervention in Syria
By Joseph Kishore, 24 April 2013
The expansion of aid to US-backed oppositional forces in Syria and the deployment of hundreds of US troops to Jordan come amidst new threats against Iran.
German Left Party supports imperialist intervention in Syria
By Johannes Stern, 23 April 2013
The Left Party has responded to the intensification of imperialist intervention in Syria by working more openly with right-wing Islamist forces and US imperialism.
US deploys troops to Jordan, prepares to invade Syria
By Alex Lantier, 19 April 2013
US forces deployed by the Obama administration to Jordan will plan for a rapid build-up of 20,000 or more US troops, preparing an invasion of Syria.
Syrian opposition militia declares allegiance to Al Qaeda
By Niall Green, 16 April 2013
The leading fighting group in the US-backed war against the Syrian government has announced its loyalty to Al Qaeda.
The petty-bourgeois “left” promotes the CIA war in Syria
By Alex Lantier, 12 April 2013
The petty-bourgeois “left” has reacted to the publication of detailed reports on the CIA’s role in backing Islamist forces for the US proxy war in Syria by intensifying their support for the war.
Washington escalates Syria intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 4 April 2013
The US and Jordanian militaries have stepped up a program to train thousands of armed fighters to send into Syria with the aim of carving out a buffer zone in the south of the country.
Russia presses ahead with the rebuilding of its military forces
By Clara Weiss, 2 April 2013
President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials have repeatedly stressed that the upgrading of Russia’s military capacity is a top priority of Kremlin policy.
The CIA war against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 26 March 2013
US president Barack Obama’s so called “peace” trip to Israel last week made clear that, on the tenth anniversary of its criminal invasion of Iraq, US imperialism is intensifying its bloody intervention in the Middle East.
US steps up war against Syria after Obama’s “peace” trip to Israel
By Johannes Stern, 25 March 2013
CIA operations and calls to arm the pro-Western Syrian opposition are escalating after US President Barack Obama's trip to Israel last week.
Hands off Syria!
By Bill Van Auken, 21 March 2013
Ten years after the launching of a criminal war against Iraq, Washington is once again preparing military aggression in the Middle East.
US, NATO prepare Syria intervention
By Bill Van Auken, 20 March 2013
The top US commander in Europe told a Senate hearing Tuesday that the US and NATO are drawing up plans for direct military intervention in Syria.
Britain and France seek end to arms embargo on Syria
By Chris Marsden, 14 March 2013
The UK, France and various regional powers such as the Gulf monarchies and Turkey are taking their cue from Washington, which has worked behind the scenes for months to channel weapons into Syria
Kerry steps up US war threats against Syria, Iran
By Chris Marsden, 6 March 2013
US Secretary of State John Kerry’s first tour of the Middle East has been the occasion for naked warmongering against Syria and Iran.
Washington escalates Syrian bloodbath
By Bill Van Auken, 1 March 2013
The decision announced by the new US secretary of state, John Kerry, to directly aid armed militias marks a major escalation of the US-backed bloodletting in Syria.
US moves towards open arming of Syrian opposition
By Chris Marsden, 28 February 2013
In advance of today’s Friends of Syria meeting in Rome, US and Europe could begin openly providing arms to opposition forces in pursuit of regime-change.
US blocks UN resolution condemning Damascus terror bombings
By Alex Lantier, 23 February 2013
US officials blocked a Russian-sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council condemning Thursday’s multiple terror bombings in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Massive car bomb hits Syrian capital, killing 53 and wounding 235
By Alex Lantier, 22 February 2013
Amid a wave of attacks on Syrian government facilities in Damascus, a massive car bomb hit a security checkpoint in the Mazraa neighborhood.
Syria’s civil war destabilising the Caucasus
By Clara Weiss, 18 February 2013
US imperialism is exploiting sectarian tensions to further its own geo-strategic interests.
Syrian civil war creates worsening humanitarian crisis
By Oliver Campbell, 15 February 2013
The US and its allies cynically exploit the social disaster they have helped create, in order to intensify the push to remove Assad.
Pentagon chiefs reveal divisions over Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 12 February 2013
Tactical differences have emerged within the Obama administration over how best to prosecute its strategy for regime-change in Syria.
Israel’s bombing of Syria escalates threat of wider war
By Bill Van Auken, 1 February 2013
The bombing of a Syrian military site by Israeli warplanes has ratcheted up the danger that the Western-backed civil war in Syria will spill over into a broader regional conflagration.
Western push to oust Syrian regime escalates
By Oliver Campbell, 30 January 2013
The danger of regional conflict deepened as NATO anti-missile batteries become operational on the Syrian border.
US covers up Islamist involvement in Aleppo bombing
By Oliver Campbell, 22 January 2013
The Aleppo atrocity highlights Washington’s hypocritical response to terrorist atrocities elsewhere, such as the Algerian hostage crisis.
Push for Western military intervention in Syria escalates
By Oliver Campbell, 15 January 2013
The UN secretary general intensified the propaganda war against the Syrian regime by comparing the civil war to the Nazi Holocaust.
German Left Party defends its support for war against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 14 January 2013
The German Left Party newspaper Neues Deutschland has published a comment defending the statement “Syria: Freedom Needs Assistance,” which calls for Western intervention in Syria.
US, allies step up military backing for Syria’s sectarian insurgency
By Chris Marsden, 7 January 2013
US troops have begun to arrive in Turkey to man Patriot missile defence batteries near the Syrian border.
Syria faces humanitarian catastrophe
By Bill Van Auken, 29 December 2012
After two years of escalating civil war, the people of Syria confront a humanitarian catastrophe, with an estimated four million people lacking adequate food and shelter.
UN admits Syria wracked by sectarian civil war
By Chris Marsden, 21 December 2012
A United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry has finally admitted that a sectarian civil war is raging in Syria.
Germany’s Left Party mobilizes for war against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 21 December 2012
Last week leading figures of the German Left Party signed a statement calling for intervention in Syria.
US, Arab allies call for intervention in Syria after bombing of Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp
By Jean Shaoul, 20 December 2012
All media reports of the bombardment of Yarmouk stress that the Syrian government is guilty of a crime and must pay a price.
Washington raises specter of Al Qaeda seizing Syrian chemical weapons
By Bill Van Auken, 19 December 2012
Having first issued threats against the Syrian regime over unspecified intelligence on its chemical weapons, Washington is now warning that these arms may fall into the hands of the “rebels.”
German parliament votes to station Patriot missiles on Syrian border
By Ulrich Rippert, 19 December 2012
The parliamentary resolution is a prelude to military intervention in Syria.
Israel considering attack on Syria
By Jean Shaoul, 18 December 2012
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has twice asked Jordan for its support to bomb Syria’s alleged chemical weapons facilities.
Syria in the crosshairs
By Joseph Kishore, 15 December 2012
The US and its imperialist allies are building up to a direct intervention in Syria, with the deployment of Patriot missile batteries in Turkey and the official recognition of the opposition.
Australian pseudo-left backs imperialist intervention in Syria
By Patrick O’Connor and Nick Beams, 14 December 2012
The overt shift by Socialist Alternative into the imperialist camp is bound up with the new political requirements of the Labor government.
“Friends of Syria” meeting demands Assad cede power to Islamist opposition
By Alex Lantier, 13 December 2012
Representatives of 130 governments, led by the US and the European powers, officially recognized the Islamist Syrian opposition as the sole representative of the Syrian people.
Washington discovers terrorists in Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 12 December 2012
In branding one of the principal anti-Assad militias as a terrorist organization, Washington is exposing the character of the US-backed war in Syria.
Syrian “rebels” establish unified military command
By Oliver Campbell, 10 December 2012
The composition of the new council exposes the reactionary character of the Syrian opposition, dominated by Islamists, lacking any popular base and reliant on the major powers.
Mounting evidence of US plans for military intervention against Syria
By Chris Marsden, 8 December 2012
Unsubstantiated claims that Syria intends to use chemical weapons are as transparent a pretext for military aggression as the lies a decade ago about Iraqi “weapons of mass destruction.”
US tightens military noose around Syria
By Bill Van Auken, 7 December 2012
Amid an escalating drumbeat about a supposed threat that Syria is preparing to use chemical weapons, Washington has deployed a naval armada off the country’s coast.
Obama and Al Qaeda
By Bill Van Auken, 5 December 2012
As the US threatens to intervene in Syria on the pretext of countering chemical weapons, a sinister alliance between Washington and Al Qaeda comes ever more clearly into focus.
Washington floats chemical weapons charge as pretext for Syria buildup
By Bill Van Auken, 4 December 2012
The Obama administration and the media have cited unspecified “intelligence” about chemical weapons to issue new threats against Syria.
After the elections: Obama escalates war drive in the Middle East
By Bill Van Auken, 30 November 2012
The Obama administration is escalating its intervention in Syria as part of a broader strategy of neocolonial conquest.
After the US election, Syria war threats mount
By Bill Van Auken, 13 November 2012
One week after the reelection of President Barack Obama, the drumbeat for war against Syria has escalated sharply.
Israel launches missile strike against Syria
By Niall Green, 12 November 2012
With the US elections out of the way, Washington and its allies have stepped up their campaign for regime-change against Syria.
US-backed Syrian “rebels” in disarray at Qatar conference
By Bill Van Auken, 6 November 2012
Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanded a shakeup within Syria’s “rebel” leadership and revealed that the State Department had handpicked a group of new leaders.
International Socialist Organization promotes Clinton’s new strategy against Syria
By Johannes Stern, 6 November 2012
The International Socialist Organization is working consciously to advance US imperialist interests by promoting Washington’s proxy forces in Syria.
Washington seeks new Syrian puppets in war for regime-change
By Bill Van Auken, 2 November 2012
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Wednesday that Washington is reorganizing the front representing the so-called “rebels” in Syria.
Fighting erupts between Western-backed “rebels” and Syrian Kurds
By Bill Van Auken, 30 October 2012
Fierce fighting erupted between Western-backed insurgents and Kurds in Syria amid growing threats of a Turkish intervention.
Lebanon bombings linked to civil war in Syria
By Niall Green, 22 October 2012
The two deadly bombings in Beirut point to the growing threat that the Syrian conflict will spread to Lebanon and throughout the region.
Germany’s Left Party meets with the Syrian opposition
By Johannes Stern, 19 October 2012
The policy of the Left Party toward imperialist intervention in Syria, as well as its political history and connections, makes it an important asset for the German ruling elite.
UK man charged with kidnapping journalists in Syria
By Julie Hyland, 19 October 2012
On Wednesday, a 26-year-old British trainee doctor appeared at Westminster’s magistrates charged with terrorist-related offences in Syria.
Turkey leads US-sponsored military encirclement of Syria
By Chris Marsden, 18 October 2012
Despite concerns of blowback in Syria due to the arming of jihadist groups, a military build-up on Syria’s borders is proceeding apace.
US intelligence admits Syria arms aid goes to Al Qaeda
By Bill Van Auken, 16 October 2012
Intelligence officials acknowledge that the bulk of the weapons flowing into Syria for the US-backed war to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad are going into the hands of Al Qaeda and like-minded Islamist militias.
Turkey’s hijacking of Syrian plane raises specter of wider war
By Bill Van Auken, 13 October 2012
Turkey’s forcing down of a Syrian passenger plane flying from Moscow has escalated tensions in the region and drawn a sharp protest from the Russian government.
Australian foreign minister suggests “assassination” of Syrian leaders
By Patrick O’Connor, 11 October 2012
Carr’s remarks underscore the criminal character of the US-led regime change operation underway in Syria, and the complicity of the Australian government.
The New York Times promotes the Syrian contras
By Alex Lantier, 9 October 2012
On October 5 journalist C. J. Chivers published a long article in the New York Times, sympathetically recording the views of the US-backed Syrian opposition .
Turkish, Syrian armies clash along border
By David Brown, 8 October 2012
Yesterday marked the fifth day of artillery clashes along the Syrian-Turkish border, amid rising fears of a war that would spread across the Middle East.
Turkey attacks Syria after stray shelling
By Bill Van Auken, 4 October 2012
Turkey’s military attacked Syria Wednesday after a stray shell from Syria killed five in a Turkish border town. With Ankara invoking NATO’s collective defense agreement, the danger is rising of a direct Western intervention.
US increases support for Syrian opposition as Aleppo burns
By Niall Green, 1 October 2012
The Obama administration has fully resumed its proxy war against Syria, resulting in new disasters for the people of the country.
US scuttles Syria negotiations, backs anti-Assad forces at UN
By Niall Green, 29 September 2012
Washington has used the UN General Assembly as a venue to plot with its allies refashioning the Middle East in line with US interests.
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