This article caught my attention, because I remember prior to our military action in Iraq being mocked and called naïve on the FADG thread for writing Saddam’s regime was nothing more than an organized crime party similar to the Mafia. That characterization of the Baath party now seems to be a pretty common view. The question is; does that description reflect the government of Syria as well?
Syria and Terrorism
by Dr. Abdul Khalik Hussein
friendsofdemocracy.info
I am not exaggerating when I say the word Baath is now synonymous with terrorism and racism. The experiments of two peoples – Syrians and Iraqis – prove that terrorism is a part of the Baath’s ideology.
The party relies in part on the Arab Nationalism of its founder Michel Aflak. I have some doubts about his roots. Was he really a citizen of Syria or France, as he claimed? His party has made killing, perfidy, assassination, and terrorism the primary method of attaining power and achieving its goals. The Baath is more like a criminal gang or mafia than a political party.
This gang has adopted terrorism and wrapped its evil ideas in attractive titles. It deceives naïve people such as nationalist youths and indoctrinates them with aggressive thoughts that lead them to destroy their nations and people in the name of nationalism.
The Baath slogans (“Unit,” “Freedom and Socialism,” and “One Arab Nation Having One Mortal Letter”) mean the opposite of what they are supposed to mean.
The “Arab unity” from the ocean to the gulf in reality is tearing the Arab world apart. It couldn’t even ensure a minimal amount of Arabic solidarity. The animosity reached its peak in the conflict between the two Baath countries - Syria and Iraq - during the reign of Saddam Hussein.
Freedom turned into slavery and robbed human beings of their dignity. It made the leader into a god. Socialism turned into poverty, even in oil rich countries like Iraq.
After the International Coalition demolished the black death Baath, the Baathists in Syria took over where the Baathists in Iraq had left off. The Baath Party can’t survive in a peaceful environment. So the party members, in both Syria and in Iraq, fomented a permanent state of war between Zionists and colonialists.
The Syrian Baathist didn’t only support terrorism in Iraq, but also in Lebanon and in Palestine. It formed coalitions with terrorists and Islamists like Al Qaeda and others. Hezbollah (the Party of God) was always backed by Syria and Iran in the first place.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Al-Hariri was assassinated along with seven of his bodyguards on February 14, 2005. Assassination attempts were also made against Marwan Hamada, who is a member of Waleed Jumbulat’s party, and others who don’t accept the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. Most of the newspapers and reporters in the world, with the exception of those in Iran, accuse Syria of Al-Hariri’s assassination.
The Syrian regime will not be able to remain in power if the Israeli-Palestinian crisis is ever resolved. Such regimes justify their existence by claiming liberty before democracy. The truth is that no oppressed people can achieve victory under an oppressive regime. That’s why Syria sabotages the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the mission of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazin).
Saddam Hussein supported terrorist operations in the West Bank and paid 25,000 dollars to the surviving family members of suicide-bombers. Syria today is continuing Saddam Hussein’s work. Israel’s accusations that Syria bombed the Lili restaurant in Tal Abib must be taken into consideration. According to the Elaf Report on February 28, 2005, an Israeli source said the Tal Abib operation was ordered by the Al-Jihad Al-Islami Center in Damascus.
Syria denies the allegation as usual: “What will Syria benefit from these operations?” It benefits, as I said before, because the regime requires tension and war to survive. Syria’s rulers always deny they support terrorism in Iraq or that Iraqi Baathist leaders walk free in their lands.
After increasing pressure from the Iraqi and American governments, Syria was finally obliged to arrest the terrorist criminal Sabaawi Ibrahim Al-Hasan, Saddam Hussein’s half-brother, who was among those who fund and control terrorism in Iraq from their base at Lathiqiya in Syria. According to the local news – which the Iraqi government neither confirms nor denies – Syrian intelligence forces have assisted Iraq in the arrest of tens of terrorist organization in Mosul to placate the U.S.
This Syrian response is typical. Syria follows the Edge Policy of former president Hafidh Al-Asad, which says Syria must sacrifice everything in order to stay in the chair. This principal was applied before when Turkey gathered its army on the Syrian border and demanded the expulsion of the Kurdish Labor Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ojolan or face war. More recently when pressure mounted on the Syrian regime from every side, and as accusations that Syria supports terrorism in Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine increased, the regime decided it did not want to go the way of Saddam Hussein and handed over Sabaawi.
Surely this is proof enough that Syria supports terrorism in Iraq. But will the Syrian Baath ever give up its support? Or is it just waiting until the current storm passes?
As I said before, terrorism is a basic principal of the Baathist gangs. The Syrian Baathist aren’t ever likely to give it up. Peace and democracy will not come to this region until the fascist regime has vanished along with the Baathists of Saddam Hussein. |
