Syria – the tragedy of defeated revolution
Russia’s state broadcaster boasted of their force’s role in grabbing Aleppo. The US and Britain have condemned the assaults. They are hypocrites. The horrors in the Middle East did not begin with the brutality of the Assad regime or the Russian imperialist intervention.
The US and Britain have long supported dictators such as Hosni Mubarak in Egypt or Zine al- Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia.
Tony Blair and George Bush’s invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan wrecked those countries. And it is impossible to condemn Assad while selling arms to the Saudi Arabian regime which has rained down death on civilians in Yemen.
Syria shows the barbarity of a ruling class when it sees a threat to its power. In 2011 a revolution swept Syria with its stronghold in Aleppo. It was a genuine popular revolt and part of the revolutionary wave across the Arab world.
But it was isolated and defeated, and its mass revolutionary energy snuffed out. As Syria fell apart, competing powers rushed to intervene in their own interests. Meanwhile the people of Syria have been murdered and driven from their homes. As refugees they have then faced the walls designed to keep them out of “sympathetic” European countries.
Further bombing and intervention by the blood-soaked outside powers are no solution. “No fly zones” or “aid from the air” will be policed by Western planes and will lead to more war. Syria today is what ruling class reaction and imperialism look like.
