Russia has learned lesson from Libya scenario: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Brian Becker, with the ANSWER Coalition in Washington, to ask for his insight on the Russian and American stances concerning the ongoing crisis in Syria.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Definitely, it seems that Russia is not backing down on this Syrian situation. What do you think has made Moscow so adamant this time around in its support for the Syrian government?

Becker: Syria has been a long-time strategic ally of Russia and previous to that to the Soviet Union in the Middle East. The military and political and economic relationship has been an enduring relationship. It’s not something new.

I think the Russian government, which along with the Chinese government abstained when the United States and Britain and France sought UN authorization in the Security Council for the bombing of Libya realized afterwards that they had, by virtue of their abstention, by virtue of their acquiescence, allowed NATO to carry out not the protection of civilians but the destruction of an independent nationalist government in Tripoli, in Libya.

And I think from that lesson, the Russian government made the decision that they would not be duped again by the United States. And furthermore, I think that when you look at what’s happening in Syria, you can clearly see that the Russian government’s statement is correct, that the Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria and the Syrian National Army are the most effective forces in fighting ISIS or Daesh, that they are the ones who have taken the brunt of the casualties, they’re the ones who have been the most effective military force.

And if ISIS is, as the United States proclaims, an existential threat, why would not one support the Assad government in its war, in its military effort to defeat the ISIS?

So, I think the Russian government is clearly signaling that they are continuing with their position and they also believe that, without international support, the Syrian government would stand alone against the ISIS, which has been nurtured by tremendous amounts of money and weapons from Turkey, from NATO powers up until recently at least.

And so, we see that the Russian government is trying to assist Assad in the defeat of ISIS. So, I think that’s the cause that the international community should be standing with.

Press TV: Do you think that, with the situation as you said that... or as the Russian foreign minister said... that the Syrian military has been the most effective in fighting against Daesh and as you pointed out that the United States and other Western countries said that the ISIL or Daesh is the existential threat? So, do you think hypocrisy more and more is going to be exposed on the part of these Western powers that on the one hand say that their number-one enemy in terrorism right now... to fight against terrorism is Daesh, is ISIL, but on the other hand, the entity that has been the most effective inside of Syria in fighting the so-called enemy of theirs, they do not want to support the Syrian government not only that, they’re still trying to overthrow it?

Becker: Right, you could call it hypocrisy. You could say what seems to be the case, that is almost schizophrenic propaganda or schizophrenic foreign policy, where on one hand, ISIS is the existential threat and at the same time, the United States government along with its allies, who have targeted the Assad government since 2011, funneling arms and money... and the ISIS military forces aimed at defeating the Syrian government, in other words, it’s taking the same position as the Western powers; and now we have the United States seeing that the ISIS is growing to be a very significant military force in Syria and in Iraq, says ‘Well, we must defeat ISIS.’

Well, why then wouldn’t you make a partnership with the Assad government? Why not? What is it about the Assad government? It’s not really that the United States has always and historically been against every regime or every government in Syria. In fact, they fought alongside Syria, incorporated Syria into the united front against Iraq in 1991 in the first [Persian] Gulf war. Why is it now the United States won’t do that? It’s really because I believe it’s because the United States said as the great empire trying to dominate the region in 2011 that Assad must go and they can’t really back away from that position because it would be a repudiation of their own previous policy... 

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