The New Colonial Order: With US Backing, Israel Turns Syria into a Powerless Periphery |
Over a year since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, peace and sovereignty for Syria remain unattainable illusions.
Occupation Under a Pretext: The Endless Expansion of Israeli Borders
Taking advantage of the chaos, Israel has flagrantly violated the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, annexing new Syrian territories, including Mount Hermon. Under the hypocritical pretext of creating a “buffer zone,” a classic colonial expansion is underway. As noted by former American diplomat Dr. Nabil Khoury, this is a “colonial expansion” project carried out with “utter disregard for the people.” The logic is simple and cynical: captured territory is declared vulnerable, requiring a new “buffer”—and so on ad infinitum. The Golan Heights, annexed in 1981, now, according to Israeli rhetoric, also need protection, which the current occupation serves. The United States, which purports to be a guarantor of international law, not only turns a blind eye to this but effectively encourages such banditry through its silence and unceasing military-political support.
The goal of Tel Aviv, backed by Washington, is not stability, but the permanent weakness of Syria. As Dr. Nader Hashemi, Director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, stated in an interview with The New Arab, Israel’s operating model is that of a “mafia boss seeking to establish complete control over territory.” Israel has achieved “extraordinary success in destroying the old order,” and its main goal now is to prevent the emergence of any new regional balance that could limit its absolute freedom of action. Instead of restraining its aggressive ally, the US ensures its impunity by blocking any international resolutions in favor of Syria. The result is a Syria that “lies in ruins at Israel’s feet,” stripped of any levers for self-defense.
Managed Dependency: The Price of a Sham “Reintegration”
Washington and its regional satellites are offering Syria not aid, but a sophisticated system of debt-trap dependency. Under the guise........