Aggression disguised as civil wars
If we accept to take a step back, we notice that the different conflicts which have bloodied the Greater Middle East for the last sixteen years, from Afghanistan to Libya, have not been a succession of civil wars, but the application of regional strategies. Thierry Meyssan reminds us of the objectives and the tactics of these wars since the « Arab Springs » and observes the preparation of those to come.
At the end of 2010, a series of wars began, initially presented as popular uprisings. Successively, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Yemen were swept under by the « Arab Spring », a reprise of the « Great Arab Revolt » of 1915, initiated by Lawrence of Arabia – with the difference that this time they would not be relying on the support of the Wahhabites, but the Muslim Brotherhood.
All these events had been carefully planned by the United Kingdom from 2004, as revealed by the internal documents of the Foreign Office leaked by the British whistle-blower Derek Pasquill [1]. With the exception of the bombing of Tripoli (Libya), in August 2011, they were born not only of the non-violent destabilisation techniques of Gene Sharp [2], but also of William S. Lind’s « 4th Generation War » [3].
Implemented by the US armies, the British project of the « Arab Spring » overlapped with that of the United States military – the destruction of societies and states at the regional level, as formulated by Admiral Arthur Cebrowski, popularised by Thomas Barnett [4], and illustrated by Ralph Peters [5].
The events seemed to calm down in the second quarter of 2012, so that on 31 June in Geneva, the United States and Russia agreed to a new distribution of the Middle East.
However, the United States did not honour their signature. A second war began in July 2012, in Syria, then in Iraq. Small groups and commandos were succeeded by vast land armies composed of jihadists. This was no longer a 4th Generation War, but a classic war of position, adapted from the techniques of Abou Bakr Naji [6].
This time, in accordance with the work of Robin Wright [7], the intention to prevent the re-opening of the « Silk Road » was superimposed on the two previous objectives when China revealed its ambition.
The events seemed to calm down during the last quarter of 2017, after the defeat of Daesh, but the investments in the conflicts were such that it seemed impossible for the partisans of war to give up without attaining their goals.
We then watched a second attempt to relaunch hostilities with the Kurdish question. After a first failure in Iraq, there was a second failure in Syria. In both cases, the violence of the aggression forced Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria to unite against their exterior enemy.
Finally, the United Kingdom decided to pursue its initial objective of domination via the Muslim Brotherhood, and for that purpose, created the « Little Group », as revealed by Richard Labeviere [8]. This secret structure includes Saudi Arabia, the United States, France and Jordan.
From their side, the United States, applying Kurt Campbell’s « Pivot to Asia » [9], have just decided to concentrate their forces against China. For that purpose, they are reforming the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Australia, India and Japan.
Meanwhile, Western public opinion believes that the single conflict which has already devastated all of the Greater Middle East, from Afghanistan to Libya, is a succession of civil wars for democracy.
Translation
Pete Kimberley
Pete Kimberley
[1] When Progressives Treat with Reactionaries. The British State’s flirtation with radical Islamism, Martin Bright, Policy Exchange, September 2004. “I had no choice but to leak”, Derek Pasquill, New Statesman, January 17, 2008.
[2] Making Europe Unconquerable: The Potential of Civilian-based Deterrence and Defense, Gene Sharp, Taylor & Francis, 1985.
[3] “The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation”, William S. Lind, Colonel Keith Nightengale, Captain John F. Schmitt, Colonel Joseph W. Sutton, Lieutenant Colonel Gary I. Wilson, Marine Corps Gazette, October 1989.
[4] The Pentagon’s New Map, Thomas P.M. Barnett, Putnam Publishing Group, 2004.
[5] “Blood borders - How a better Middle East would look”, Colonel Ralph Peters, Armed Forces Journal, June 2006.
[6] The Management of Savagery : The Most Critical Stage Through Which the Umma Will Pass, Abu Bakr Naji, 2005. English version translated by William McCants, Harvard University, 2006.
[7] “Imagining a Remapped Middle East”, Robin Wright, The New York Times Sunday Review, 28 septembre 2013.
[8] « Syrieleaks : un câble diplomatique britannique dévoile la "stratégie occidentale" », Richard Labévière, Observatoire géostratégique, Proche&Moyen-Orient.ch, 17 février 2018.
[9] The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia, Kurt M. Campbell, Twelve, 2016.
