Hello Michael: Thanks for the longer explanation of your disagreement with Ali. So by my point (ii) you mean the following: Kumar: "ii) Ali - "Like Iraq and Libya, where the US has a lock on the oil, Syria will now become a shared American–Turkish colony. . . Now, Assad’s ousting has created a different type of vacuum – likely to be filled by NATO’s Turkey and the US via the ‘ex-al-Qaida’ Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (the rebranding of its leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani as a freedom fighter after his stint in a US prison in Iraq is par for the course), as well as Israel. The latter’s contribution was enormous, having disabled Hezbollah and wrecked Beirut. . . Geostrategically, it is a triumph for Washington and Israel."
Just a couple of comments: (i) The main area on which my views overlap with those of Ali So as I said just now, to Sartesian's comment - I was and remain focused on the view that "Syria will now become a shared American–Turkish colony". (ii) Belittling of the HTS guerrilla war But more I think to the point of your reply - is that whatever belittling of the guerrilla movement Tariq Ali does, is explicitly not what I support. I think the article I wrote I still believe is correct in its take on the HTS. ( https://mlrg.online/politics/theses-on-the-2024-re-emergence-of-the-syrian-anti-assad-revolution/ ) Namely the view that - just as in Tunisia a united front with honest Muslim fundamentalists - this is entirely correct. That the HTS fought the Russians to a stale-mate and were never defeated: "# 38. While the Assad regime hung on with the support of both the Iranian Hezbollah Shi’ia forces and the Russian Putinite army, it never could eliminate the Northern based fundamentalists around: “Latakia, Idlib, Aleppo and Hama, with a small additional presence in Homs and the Qalamoun Mountains bordering Lebanon. During the outbreak of inter-factional conflict in northern Syria in late 2013, which gained intensity in January 2014, the majority of these groups (except Usud al-Khilafah) remained either independent or tacitly loyal to Jabhat al-Nusra.” (Lister 2014 Ibid ) #39. Effectively the Russian and Iranian intervention, and their massive military support to Assad – had stale-mated and halted the anti-Assad movement – but not defeated it." "Re-emergence etc... Ibid). I also point out that the HTS has different wings - some are more pragmatic and some are more fundamentalist (#35; #37 ); and I also discuss the attempted re-moulding of the HTS along the lines of an anti-sectarian governing body in Idlib (#43 ) and attempts to reach out to the Druze very recently (#47). (iii) Does any praise for removal of Assad stand in contradiction to pointing out the gains of USA and Israel? What I am having some difficulty with, is a possible dismissal that the final and much fought for success of the HTS in booting out Assad could be quite consistent also, with the HTS having benefitted from: -The Israeli recent and on-going campaigns - Gaza obliteration; the attacks on Lebanon; the supine-ness of Iran and making it less willing to take on a fighting role inside Syria; - The Turkish cooperation and the coordinated attack by the SNA on the N.E.Portion of Syria. Indeed, it would seem to me, to deny their military 'intelligence' [Intelligence here in the sense of planning and common-sense rather than 'spying' and what-not] of the HTS - if they did not take advantage of these events. It is not the same in my view, as saying they are proxy agents. (iv) The medium to long term weight of Syria under the HTS vis-a-vis the inter-imperial contradiction I also have difficulty in seeing how the victory in Syria over Assad, can be treated somewhat in isolation. Maybe that is not what you are saying. But if so - then how does the apparent current simultaneous victory of Israel and the USA over Gaza and Lebanon - fit together with the HTS victory in Syria? If the HTS is not a socialist force - what are they? If they are a type of national-movement only, I think they are likely to be an aspiring bourgeoisie. If that is right - without a socialist perspective, they are bound to have to 'come to terms' with one or other of the hosts of the imperialists currently descending upon Syria to have tea and cakes with Ahmed al-Sharaa. At least that is the only interpretation I can see at this time. If that is the case, surely the most likely winner amongst the suitors is the USA (and Israel - in the Middle East right now, you cannot think of one without the other in my view, and I suspect in yours too). (iv) You ask if I had seen your article - of the 19th December, 2024. I had cited one of yours from the 24th December in the preface , as follows: "Because of its location in the Middle East, Syria will now bear the post-Gaza brunt of the inter-imperialist collision. Syria had already felt this inter-imperialist collision in the first phase of the Syrian ‘Revolution‘ war up to 2016, as the Putinite air force and mercenaries entered Syria. Those forces came to the aid of Bashar Assad. In doing so Russia’s obtained its berths on the Mediterranean. Regardless, the Russian intervention interrupted the social revolution. Although Russia has exited the Syrian stage, it will try to retain its port at Tartous in Syria – while extending its presence in Libya (Michael Karadjis, 24 December 2024; at https://theirantiimperialismandours.com)." and I think the one you had noted, is mentioned in point #62. "#62. For the best detailed summary of Israel’s attacks on Syria now – and the lack of any attacks on the Assadite regime until Israel began to attack Gaza – Michael Karadjis’s blog carries a text with definitive data and interpretation. (Michael Karadjis, “Israel’s massive attack on free Syria: Background and motivations”; 19 December; Their Anti-imperialism and Ours at: https://theirantiimperialismandours.com/2024/12/19/israels-massive-attack-on-free-syria-background-and-motivations/ Regards, H -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#34343): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/34343 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/110333291/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: marxmail+ow...@groups.io Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/13617172/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [arch...@mail-archive.com] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
