No applause for collapse of Syria’s government

Mick Kelly, representing Freedom Road Socialist Organization, gave this presentation at a webinar on the U.S. role in Syria, organized by the United National Antiwar Coalition on Dec. 28, 2024.

I am not a religious person, but I do agree with the statement in the good book that says, “Woe unto those that call good evil and evil good.” The events in Syria, the collapse of its progressive government, are not something to be applauded.

Instead, it needs to be identified as what it is: a setback for the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, peoples of the Middle East and West Asia and the peoples of the world as a whole.

The antiwar movement is diverse and has many different forces that come at things from different directions — but for those of us who are anti-imperialists, we have a basic criterion for judging things. We welcome things, events and movements, actions by governments that weaken imperialism and oppose that which strengths it.

This issue of an anti-imperialist outlook is of particular importance for those in the U.S. — an empire of oppression and exploitation that extends from Palestine to the Philippines.

Syria was an important player in the Axis of Resistance — a grouping of countries and movements including the Palestinian resistance, Yemen, Iran and the patriotic forces of Lebanon and Iraq. Since the October 7, 2023, launching of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, this entire array of forces has swung into motion for the purpose of liberating Palestine and ending foreign influence in the region. Syria’s exit from this axis for liberation [means Syria’s assistance] will be sorely missed.

Syria provided real assistance and was a transit point for aid to Palestine and the patriotic forces in Lebanon. It’s loss is a setback — one that objectively helps the genocide in Gaza.

Along a similar vein, Syria itself has been grappling with the occupation of its territory — the Syrian Golan — by Israel since 1967. Trump Heights is planned as a Zionist settlement in the Golan. Israel is attempting to exploit the Golan’s gas and oil; in the past few weeks, the Zionist state has expanded occupied territory.

Why did Syria collapse?

So how did this come about? The short story is that the U.S., the West in general, the reactionary Arab states and Türkiye waged an economic and political war that included a military dimension against the government of Syria. The sanctions

were huge by the U.S. and the European Union. The constant funneling of money and weapons to the opposition is well documented. It is not hidden. The U.S. has 2,000 troops in Syria [at an illegal U.S. military base guarding the] Conoco oil field. There has been constant bombing by Israel and the U.S.

At the end of the day, the unfavorable balance of forces was just too much for Syria. There is plenty of time to uncover all the facts about what the collapse looked like on the ground — but we can draw some general conclusions about who is responsible for what.

So what does the future hold, and what do the recent events mean for our work to build the antiwar movement? [We must] oppose U.S. intervention in Syria — [learning the lessons from the U.S./NATO intervention in] Libya — and a scramble by foreign forces for Syrian territory and resources.

We need to stand with Palestine and stand with Lebanon.

Iran is in the crosshairs — it is being targeted by Israel and the U.S. This is not hidden. Attacking Iran is something that is being debated in the Israeli press. The setback in Syria makes an attack on Iran more likely.

Finally — despite the setback — a couple of things are worth saying. The people of Syria have a proud history of resistance. Already demonstrations confronting the expanded Israel occupation of Syria have taken place, and reportedly Israeli troops have opened fire on these protests. So the Syrian people cannot be counted out as an independent factor in what lies ahead.