Syria: A History of Proxy Wars & US Imperialism

12/04/24 • 51 min

At the end of November, groups aligned with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or the “Levant Liberation Committee” and previously known as the Al-Nusra Front, launched significant attacks on the Syrian government in the Idlib and Aleppo regions, taking part of the city of Aleppo. The Syrian Arab Army has mobilized to push back against HTS.
The offensive of course comes within days of the ceasefire in Lebanon that we discussed in our last episode, but also after more than a decade of US-backed insurgent groups attempting to overthrow the Syrian government. Syria has long been a target of attempted coups, assassination attempts, regime change operations, sanctions and war. This legacy and the current Western-backed attempts to overthrow the Syrian government show us why there is a critical need for anti-imperialist politics in the anti-war movement in the United States.
To dive into this history and what's happening today, we’re joined by Taylor Gol, an anti-war organizer who is originally from Türkiye.

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Previous Episode

What does the Lebanon ceasefire mean?

On Tuesday afternoon, the Israeli security cabinet approved a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the cabinet and then with a pre-recorded video addressed the Israeli public, expressing his support for the deal. But in the leadup to the security cabinet vote, and while Netanyahu was making his case in support of the deal, Israel has been engaging in some of its heaviest bombardment of southern Lebanon since mid-September. On Monday the 26th, attacks killed 55 people and injured 160 in Lebanon. And on Tuesday, the IDF launched an intense blitz of 20 bombings in just 2 minutes, then later in the day bombed an apartment building in Hamra, a commercial area of Beirut.
Over 3,800 people have been killed in Lebanon and nearly 16,000 wounded by the IDF since October 7, 2023.
In making his public case for the ceasefire, which is a much-needed development to give reprieve to the people of Southern Lebanon, Netanyahu gave three reasons: First, to “focus on the Iranian threat.” Second, to “give our forces a breather and replenish stocks,” referring to the IDF. And third, to “separate the fronts” in the war.
To make sense of these breaking developments and put them into an appropriate historical context, we’re joined by Richard Becker. He’s an anti-imperialist activist and organizer and the author of Palestine, Israel and the US Empire, which you can find at 1804 Books.

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South Korea Fights Back Martial Law

Calls for the resignation of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have rung out from civil society and beyond after Yoon declared martial law on December 3rd. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) called for strikes until Yoon steps down, and groups under and beyond that organization are heeding the call.

Yoon’s brief and apparently sudden declaration of martial law caused many to protest outside of the National Assembly chanting “Abolish Martial Law! Down with Dictatorship!” The members of that body who were able to get into the building without being blocked by troops voted unanimously against the decree, with the chair declaring it to be “invalid” after their vote.

Yoon claimed that the measure was necessary “as an act of national resolve against the anti-state forces” and that he would target “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces.” Now, an arrest warrant has been filed against the former Defense Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, alleging that he collaborated with Yoon and intended to cause an insurrection.

To talk about this still-developing story and help us understand the history, Yoon’s relationship with the U.S., what these events mean for popular movements in South Korea and the prospects for Korean reunification, we’re joined by Jia Hong, a member of Nodutdol. Learn more about Nodutdol’s US Out of Korea campaign here.

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