The Fake War on ISIS: US and Turkey Escalate in Syria
It is late July 2015, and the media is abuzz with the news that Turkey will allow US jets
to use its bases to bomb Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria. There
is much talk about how this development is a “game-changer,” and how
this is a clear escalation of the much ballyhooed, but more fictional
than real, US war on ISIS: the terror organization that US intelligence welcomed
as a positive development in 2012 in their continued attempts to
instigate regime change against the Syrian government led by Bashar
al-Assad.
The western public is told that “This is a significant shift…It’s a big deal,” as a US military official told the Wall Street Journal.
What the corporate media fail to mention, however, is the fact that
Turkey has been, and continues to be, a central actor in the war in
Syria and, consequently, in the development and maintenance of ISIS. So,
while Washington waxes poetic about stepping up the fight against the
terror group, and lauds the participation of its allies in Ankara, the
barely concealed fact is that Turkey is merely further entrenching
itself in a war that it has fomented.
What the corporate media fail to mention, however, is the fact that
Turkey has been, and continues to be, a central actor in the war in
Syria and, consequently, in the development and maintenance of ISIS. So,
while Washington waxes poetic about stepping up the fight against the
terror group, and lauds the participation of its allies in Ankara, the
barely concealed fact is that Turkey is merely further entrenching
itself in a war that it has fomented.
Of equal importance is the simple fact
that a “war on ISIS” is merely a pretext for Turkey’s military
engagement in Syria and throughout the region. Not only does Turkey’s
neo-Ottoman revanchist President Erdogan want to flex his military
muscles in order to further the regime change agenda in Syria, he also
is using recent tragic events as political and diplomatic cover for
waging a new aggressive war against the region’s Kurds, especially
Turkey’s longtime foe the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
that a “war on ISIS” is merely a pretext for Turkey’s military
engagement in Syria and throughout the region. Not only does Turkey’s
neo-Ottoman revanchist President Erdogan want to flex his military
muscles in order to further the regime change agenda in Syria, he also
is using recent tragic events as political and diplomatic cover for
waging a new aggressive war against the region’s Kurds, especially
Turkey’s longtime foe the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).
In this way, Turkey’s recent moves
should be seen as merely a new phase of its engagement in the regional
war that it has helped foment. Contrary to western corporate media
talking points, Turkey has not just recently become actively engaged in
the conflict; Ankara has merely shifted its strategy and its tactics,
moving from covert engagement to overt participation.
should be seen as merely a new phase of its engagement in the regional
war that it has helped foment. Contrary to western corporate media
talking points, Turkey has not just recently become actively engaged in
the conflict; Ankara has merely shifted its strategy and its tactics,
moving from covert engagement to overt participation.
Same War, New Phase
The immediate justification for the
launching of renewed airstrikes by Turkey and the US is the expansion of
the war against ISIS. In the wake of the bombing
in Turkey’s majority Kurdish town of Suruç, which killed 32 youth
activists, the Turkish government has allegedly struck hard against both
ISIS and PKK targets. It is against this backdrop that any analysis of the new phase of this war must be presented.
launching of renewed airstrikes by Turkey and the US is the expansion of
the war against ISIS. In the wake of the bombing
in Turkey’s majority Kurdish town of Suruç, which killed 32 youth
activists, the Turkish government has allegedly struck hard against both
ISIS and PKK targets. It is against this backdrop that any analysis of the new phase of this war must be presented.
First and foremost is the fact that even
if one were to accept the Turkish government’s official story – the
suicide bomber was linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) – not at all a
certainty, the question of ultimate responsibility becomes central.
While Ankara would have the world believe that its hands are clean, and
that it is the innocent victim
of international terrorism, the reality is that Turkey has done
everything to foster and promote the growth of ISIS from the very
beginning. As such, it is the Turkish government who must shoulder much
of the blame for the Suruç bombing.
First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2015/08/02/the-fake-war-on-isis-us-and-turkey-escalate-in-syria/
if one were to accept the Turkish government’s official story – the
suicide bomber was linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) – not at all a
certainty, the question of ultimate responsibility becomes central.
While Ankara would have the world believe that its hands are clean, and
that it is the innocent victim
of international terrorism, the reality is that Turkey has done
everything to foster and promote the growth of ISIS from the very
beginning. As such, it is the Turkish government who must shoulder much
of the blame for the Suruç bombing.
First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2015/08/02/the-fake-war-on-isis-us-and-turkey-escalate-in-syria/
