From the Memory Hole: Aiding the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood

"The enemy of my enemy ... becomes my enemy, eventually"


In yesterday's Foreign Relations Committee Hearings in the U.S. senate, Secretary of State John Kerry went on record, saying the Obama administration has no intention to "tip the scales in the Syrian civil war".

Well, that would be too late, at least 7 years too late. In 2005/6, secret documents started to surface and it became publicly known that the U.S. Government is covertly seeking to destabilise the Assad regime, either through proxies like Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, or directly by providing aid to anti-Assad groups, including the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.

The following excerpts taken from articles published in 2006 and 2007 should make it undoubtedly clear, the current U.S. admin's foreign policy is very much a continuation of what previous administrations have planned all along. The New Middle East

The Bush Administration has been quietly nurturing individuals and parties opposed to the Syrian government in an effort to undermine the regime of President Bashar Assad. Parts of the scheme are outlined in a classified, two-page document that says that the U.S. already is "supporting regular meetings of internal and diaspora Syrian activists" in Europe. The document bluntly expresses the hope that "these meetings will facilitate a more coherent strategy and plan of actions for all anti-Assad activists."

The proposal says part of the effort would be run through a foundation operated by Amar Abdulhamid, a Washington-based member of a Syrian umbrella opposition group known as the National Salvation Front (NSF). The Front includes the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist organization that for decades supported the violent overthrow of the Syrian government, but now says it seeks peaceful, democratic reform.

Read more: content.time.com...

THE REDIRECTION

In the past year, the Saudis, the Israelis, and the Bush Administration have developed a series of informal understandings about their new strategic direction. At least four main elements were involved, the U.S. government consultant told me. (...)

Fourth, the Saudi government, with Washington’s approval, would provide funds and logistical aid to weaken the government of President Bashir Assad, of Syria. The Israelis believe that putting such pressure on the Assad government will make it more conciliatory and open to negotiations.

Jumblatt then told me that he had met with Vice-President Cheney in Washington last fall to discuss, among other issues, the possibility of undermining Assad. He and his colleagues advised Cheney that, if the United States does try to move against Syria, members of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood would be “the ones to talk to,” Jumblatt said.

The Brotherhood is also an avowed enemy of the U.S. and of Israel. Nevertheless, Jumblatt said, “We told Cheney that the basic link between Iran and Lebanon is Syria—and to weaken Iran you need to open the door to effective Syrian opposition.”

There is evidence that the Administration’s redirection strategy has already benefitted the Brotherhood. The Syrian National Salvation Front is a coalition of opposition groups whose principal members are a faction led by Abdul Halim Khaddam, a former Syrian Vice-President who defected in 2005, and the Brotherhood. A former high-ranking C.I.A. officer told me, “The Americans have provided both political and financial support. The Saudis are taking the lead with financial support, but there is American involvement.”

The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda.

Both articles are not very well sourced, but with a simple google search it is easily possible to verify each individual statement, allegation or fact. Most of it has been covered before here on ATS.

The proverbial 'rabbit hole' would be more accurately termed 'a bottomless pit'. How many times are we going to crawl out of it, just to happily jump in again?