Al-Hayat, London, April 17
It should surprise nobody that the recent tripartite attack in Syria has nothing to do with the Syrian war. The attack, carried out a few weeks ago by the United States, the United Kingdom and France, targeted Syria’s chemical weapons infrastructure. However, in no way, shape or form did it change the balance of power on the ground. It did not diminish Assad’s military capabilities or help the Syrian opposition advance its cause. Instead, it was an attack against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. While we often refer to this war as the “Syrian Civil War,” by now it has become very clear that this conflict has little to do with the Syrian people themselves. President Bashar al-Assad is a mere pawn in a game of chess being played by the world’s superpowers. Accordingly, the recent attack on Syria was meant to send a message far beyond Damascus. If the true aim of this attack was to protect the Syrian people, as world leaders so frequently assert, then the three Western powers would have taken action long ago. If they were truly concerned about human rights violations, these powers would have demanded the removal of al-Assad from power. Sadly, they have accepted reality as it is. Russia has been challenging U.S. dominance, first in Crimea and now in Syria. President Trump and his allies in Europe are not truly concerned about the suffering of the Syrian people. What they are actually worried about is projecting their own power. –Khaled al-Dakheel