Webinar exposes imperialist role in Syria’s regime change

The United National Antiwar Coalition held a unique webinar Dec. 29 to discuss the political situation in Syria and the role of the U.S. and other imperialist forces in the Dec. 8, 2024, overthrow of the elected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which is the latest U.S. regime change operation.

Impacted by the intense propaganda by the U.S. corporate media, the left in the United States, including some forces who have opposed U.S. imperialist intervention in West Asia and its support for Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, has been divided in their reactions to the regime change in Syria.

Organizers of the webinar said it was necessary for an anti-imperialist perspective to be presented strongly. Their aim was to condemn the takeover of Syria by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and expose the role of U.S. imperialism, Israel and Türkiye in overthrowing the Syrian government with the active aid of various Western and Gulf states-backed mercenary forces.

Other forces in the Western left movement have erroneously celebrated the new government as an improvement for the people of Syria.

The speakers, all firmly in the anti-imperialist camp, were in agreement that U.S. imperialism is largely responsible for the recent political tumult and regime change in Syria. Washington had announced since the early 2000s that it was targeting Iraq, Libya, Syria and Iran.

Regarding Syria, the U.S. coordinated decades-long policies of sanctions that strangled the local economy. Washington backed and trained opponents of the Damascus government. U.S. corporate media waged a relentless propaganda campaign intended to justify its bombing of the then-Syrian government.

The presentations showed how the U.S. — along with its NATO allies, including Türkiye — and the Gulf monarchies and Israel engineered the recent political upheaval. Even prior to the final offensive, U.S. forces had occupied one-third of Syria. Washington recently admitted there were 2,000 U.S. troops stationed on Syrian territory, which cut some of Syria’s most resource-rich lands from use by the Syrian people.

Syria’s key role in Axis of Resistance

The presenters also identified Syria’s key role in the pro-Palestine Axis of Resistance as a major motivator of imperialist support for regime change. Syria has a land border with Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine, and could facilitate delivering provisions to Gaza or where they are needed. 

The Axis of Resistance is an alliance of states and liberation movements that included Syria and includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, the Ansarallah (also called Houthi) movement in Yemen and the different organizations within the movement for Palestinian liberation.

In particular, the speakers identified the Axis’s support of the movement for Palestinian liberation as a major motivating factor for the imperialist overthrow of the Assad government, especially since the recent intensification of the Israeli genocide against Palestinians beginning on October 7, 2023. Many presenters cited Israel’s and Türkiye’s rapid incursions and annexations of sovereign Syrian territory.

The seminar’s speakers included: Sara Flounders, coordinator of the SanctionsKill Campaign and contributing editor to Workers World newspaper; Joe Lombardo, coordinator of United National Antiwar Coalition; Jacqueline Luqman, vice chair of Black Alliance for Peace Coordinating Committee and host of Darker Than Blue on WPFW Pacifica Radio; and Mick Kelly, political secretary of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and editor of FightBack News.

Also presenting were Shawky Darwich, from Students for Justice in Palestine at The New School; Judy Bello, board member of the Syrian Support Movement and member of Ban Killer Drones; Cody Urban, National Coordinator of International League of Peoples Struggles; and Richie M., from the Bronx Anti-War Coalition. Co-chair Saher Al Khamash of the BAWC read a statement by Bahman Azad, Coordinator of the U.S. Peace Council.

The speakers expressed confidence that resistance in Syria will arise against the new forces of occupation.

Watch the webinar here or at youtube.com/watch?v=2QEn3wllu2Q