It was announced thatthe United Stateswould be readyfor an attackon Syria, which could be imminent. To do this they have severalwarships andsubmarinesin the Mediterraneanarmed withcruise missiles andaircraft atvarious basesin the areawith the capacityto bombSyrian territory. They would countwith thebacking ofBritain, France, some Arab governments(SaudiArabia, Qatar) and Turkey. They would performthis actionon the groundsthat the Syrian regimeis «unconscionable»forusing «chemical weapons».
We are witnessing a newfarceof «humanitarian intervention»for the use of»weaponsof mass destruction», as if thechemicalslaughterwerequalitatively moreserious thanthe more than 100,000killed by theregime’sconventionalbombsduringthe last two yearsin the popularneighbourhoodsofHoms,Damascus andAleppo.United Statesand Israeldo not havean optionto ensureits control, neither the regimenora «moderate» wingof the opposition; therefore, the aim ofthe intervention is not tooverthrowBasharorto destabilizethe balance of forcesin the war –the goal isto continuethe destruction ofSyria.
According tomedia reports, the stated objective of the bombingwouldnot be to overthrowBashar al-Assad, but only to «punish him» for theuse of chemical weaponswith a fewdays of bombinganda ground invasionis not expected. It is not indicated what they will do tonotstrongly affectthecivilian population, bearingin mind they will use Tomahawkmissileswhich usedepleted uranium.
Moreover, theimmediatepolitical effectwithin Syriawill beconfusion andmayeven strengthenthe dictatorship, giving them argumentsto massacreopponentsin the name ofa false»anti-imperialist national resistance».This alsocontributesto the confusionsown by the»Chavism» and the government ofVenezuela, which will use this interventionto continue givingits backingto the butcherBashar al-Assad.
In the two yearsof civil war,theU.S. and European imperialismhas maintaineda partial»blockade»to the entry of weaponsforthe Syrian rebels. And they have especiallypreventedthe entry ofheavy weaponsand armour. Whilethere is noblockadetotheheavy weaponsand all kindsthat Putin, the Russian governmentand Iransendin support of theSyrian dictator. Soit istotally unequalwarbetweenthe Syrian army, which has all kinds of weapons, including missiles, aircraft, helicopters and armoured vehicles,provided byRussia (which also has a naval basein Syria), and the rebelswho have only light weapons, others takenfrom the enemyin combatand someself-madeweapons. The villagesand neighbourhoodshave to endurepermanentlyrebelbombingsfrom airplanesor missiles, against whichthey cannotdefend themselves.
With the announcementof the bombingby the UnitedStates,we are totallyclear:we condemnany military actionorimperialist bombingin Syria, both by the UnitedStates, supportedby NATO,as wellas we condemn theRussian military interventionandtheIranian-backedHezbollah. We revolutionary socialistsrepudiateallcriminal actionsof the dictatorBashar al-Assad, includingthe genocidal actionof usingpoison gason the people.We are against theSyrian dictatorshipand supportthe rebelpeople’s strugglefor itsoverthrow.
But we reject the idea that it is imperialism who intends to assumea»humanitarian»posturewhen theyarethose who have alwayssupportedall kinds ofdictators, including the Syrian regime, until recentlypraisedby those whonowthreaten it.Allimperialist militaryinterventionhas always servedto seek to oppress thepeoples of the world. In this case, they wouldinterveneto indicatethat they are theglobal copand totry to influencea futurenegotiated solution to theconflict(Geneva conference), seeking to preventthetriumph of the revolutionof the rebelSyrian people. And tocontinue supporting theZionist state ofIsraelagainst the Palestinian peoplestruggling forliberation.Not surprisingly theregimeofal-Assad has bolsteredIsrael’s northern border and has neverlifted a finger toregainthe Golan Heights, occupied since1967.
We supportthe rebel people, the workers and youngSyrianswho fight andgive their livesagainst the dictatorship.Butwe do not putanytrustinthe politicsof Syrian National Coalitionof Syria (NCS) or the staff of theFree Syrian Army(FSA), which are monopolizedby forces such asthe Muslim Brotherhood, and supported by pro-imperialistgovernmentslike Qatar andTurkey, which currently endorseandcall forimperialist militaryintervention. Moreover,the strengthening ofradicalIslamist forcesin recent months(Al-Nusra Front, Islamic State ofIraqand Syria, and others), is a consequence ofattempts byGulf countriesand Turkeyto corruptand divide therevolution.Their strengthcomes not frompopular supportof the Syrian people, but from theeconomic and military aidfromthe Gulf States. The attacksof thesegroupsagainstKurdishandFSA battalions, their authoritarianand sectarianpracticesagainst the Syrian peoplehave shown theirreactionary nature. Themaintaskof the world leftis to supportthe Syrian masseswhich rose upagainst the dictatorial regimeofal-Assad, and helpin every waytheSyrianrevolutionary Marxistsin their task ofbuilding arevolutionary partyon the ground.
We call onthe Arab and Turkishpeoplesto mobilizeto repudiate theimperialistinterventionand in support of therebelSyrianpeople, demanding that their governmentsdo not cooperatewith theimperialist attack.Weapons for the revolution!Material support for the rebel people, without any conditions!Includingheavy weaponsandanti-aircraftweaponsrequested by therebelSyrianpeopletooverthrowthe dictatoral-Assad. We call ontrade unionsaround the world, but especially those fromGreece, Turkeyand Cyprus, to demandthatnoship oraircraftof imperialismuse themilitary basesin those countries.
StopU.S. imperialistinterventionin Syria!
Out with the military support ofRussia and Iranto the dictator!
Long live the struggle of the Syrian peopleagainst the dictatorship!
Down with theal-Assaddictatorship!
Coordination Committee IWU-FI / ILC
International Workers Union– Fourth International / International Liaison Committee (Workers Front, Turkey; Internationalist Struggle, Spanish State)
August 29, 2013
