Buffer Zones
for Syrians and American Blackmail (Al-Arab Al-Yawm,
Jordan)
"Another world war could be approaching ... A problem
has been deliberately created to ensnare Jordan in a scenario that carries with
it the risk of military escalation, American occupation, and the crossing of
the conflict over the border in the form of revenge attacks, particularly since
what is being sought is the support and training of a 'moderate' force to
shield Jordan and combat 'extremist groups' - which Washington contributed to
creating!"
Leaks about Jordan's impending participation in the setting
up of buffer zones along its northern border come as no surprise, as the
country’s economic crisis coupled with its physical location have exposed it to
American blackmail - as every regime in the region has had to “resubmit its
application” to be U.S. allies.
Ever since Barack Obama’s visit and overnight stay in Amman,
it has been clear that American support comes at a price - both political and
financial - especially as the United States holds the keys to international
loans and even Arab aid. And here we are, approaching the date when Jordan will
have to cough up for U.S. support. It would appear that the due date and
finishing touches will occur no later than the next U.S.-Jordan summit.
The leaks appear to have been well thought out, to act as
test balloons for gauging public reaction while at the same time molding public
opinion on future steps, especially as they were accompanied by warnings that
the number of Syrian refugees may reach 3 million, and that another world war
could be approaching.
It's no coincidence that in preparation for the imminent
decision of the United States, the U.N. has announced that its budget for
protecting Syrian refugees has run dry. That doesn't mean that the
international organization is lying, but that rich countries, particularly the
United States, either don't want to provide funds or have decided to stop doing
so, to compel everyone, especially the countries neighboring Syria, to go along
with Washington's plans.
Some features of the American scenario have become clear.
Among them is the hope that military pressure will compel Bashar
al-Assad to step down and make way for a transition of power “based on
consensus” without a dissolution of the Syrian Army. Hence, Syria’s seat in the
Arab League has been given to an element of the opposition, and finishing
touches are being put on defining military operations aimed at gaining control
of chemical weapons sites and sites vital to the Syrian Army.
On
the pretext of offering shelter and protection to the refugees, this is where
the buffer zones in Deraa
come into play. America cannot mobilize a large military invasion force like it
did for the occupations of Iraq or Afghanistan, so it needs a direct contribution
from Jordan to secure so-called “safe havens” for rebel groups. In fact, these
will be used as military bases to tighten the siege on the Syrian regime and
pave the way for selected wings of the Syrian opposition to enter Damascus.
It isn't the bloody, repressive Syrian regime that is to be
feared, but that Syria, Jordan, and regimes that have the least respect for
freedom and peoples, have become involved in the Syrian uprising. They have
created and nurtured extremist militia groups bent not on liberating Syria, but
on destroying it, since Arab peoples are not permitted to transition to more
democratic systems, but only to fall directly, or gradually, into America's
lap.
The blame is on everyone, first of all the Syrian regime and
Arab states that have failed to protect their peoples, instead complying with
the orders and wishes of Washington and the West - something that the
revolutions have done little to change. Because the Arab states have become
hostages of the restrictions associated with the political and financial
support of America and the Gulf.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
Of course, the West sees the collapse of the Syrian regime -
the last regime to shout slogans of resistance, Arab nationalism and defiance -
as a historic opportunity. But this desire to express defiance doesn't excuse
the Damascus regime's record of oppression and brutality, nor does it mean that
this very same regime would hesitate to reach understandings with Washington
that go against its own slogans to serve its own narrow self-interest.
Nevertheless, Washington also sees the potential danger that
these armed groups and forces on the ground pose to Israel. This is so, even if
Washington remained silent on and tacitly or directly supported the creation of
such groups, because they give it direct justification for dragging the
surrounding countries, including Jordan, into a military intervention, by
exploiting their fears about the influx of refugees and members of these
extremist groups into Jordan through its border with Syria.
Thus, a problem has been deliberately created to ensnare
Jordan in a scenario that carries with it the risk of military escalation,
American occupation, and the crossing of the conflict over the border in the
form of revenge attacks, particularly since what is being sought is the support
and training of a “moderate” force to shield Jordan and combat “extremist
groups” - which Washington contributed to creating!
We are under no illusions about receiving any official
response to these concerns, but decision makers should at least look the
Jordanian people in the eye and frankly tell them what is going on, what the
fallout is likely to be, why the powers that be believe we have to bear even
more burdens, and what purpose all of this serves. Many groups of people have
borne burdens in silence. They didn't take to the streets in protest because
they didn't want to sacrifice stability. However, interventions like this one
in Syria will not benefit Jordanian stability, but threaten it.
On
the pretext of offering shelter and protection to the refugees, this is where
the buffer zones in 
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