Irresponsible Western Media Russia Bashing
By Stephen Lendman
Western media irresponsibly blame Russia for high crimes against peace committed by their own nations, namely America, key NATO allies, Israel and rogue Arab states - notably in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, Yemen and Syria, ignoring Moscow’s consistent efforts to resolve conflicts diplomatically, the only way to restore peace and stability.
World attention on the gravest refugee crisis since WW II caused by US-led imperial wars affects Syria most of all. Half its 23-million population is internally or externally displaced.
Nothing is reported about Obama’s full responsibility - a proxy war he launched in March 2011, complicit with other rogue states - using imported death squads to topple Assad’s popularly elected government.
Instead of laying blame where it belongs, Western media bash Putin. Hysterical Fox News misreporting claims he’s “co-leading” war in Syria.
Citing unnamed intelligence sources, Fox claimed “(t)he Russians are no longer advising, but co-leading the war” with Iranian help.
A “Russian buildup in Syria,” is underway with “1,000 combatants” currently on the ground ahead of more to come - including “members of the Airborne Rifle brigade, the equivalent of US Army Rangers.”
Not a shred of evidence supports these hysterical claims. Fox News anchors, pseudo-reporters and guests feature state-sponsored demagoguery, propaganda, hype and outrageous Big Lies.
They’re not alone. Other US cable and broadcast news outlets march to the same drummer - reporting managed news misinformation, suppressing hard truths, especially on issues mattering most.
Claims about Russia building its military presence in Syria have no basis in fact. Western media scoundrels aren’t deterred from claiming otherwise - spreading malicious Big Lies, willfully deceiving viewers and readers.
On September 11, New York Times editors headlined “Russia’s Risky Moves in Syria.” A litany of Big Lies followed.
Claiming Russia is “a major enabler of Mr. Assad…(now) expanding (its) involvement in the conflict to a new and more dangerous level.”
Saying Putin sent “a military advance team” setting up “prefabricated housing units for hundreds of military personnel…” No corroborating evidence supports this or related claims. Reporting them is irresponsible propaganda, not legitimate journalism.
“The United States is carrying out airstrikes in Syria against the Islamic State,” said The Times.
Fact: US airstrikes support IS terrorists, attacking Syrian infrastructure targets.
The Times: Washington is “train(ing) and arm(ing) moderate opposition groups that could secure territory taken from the extremists.”
Fact: No so-called moderate forces fighting Assad exist, nor are any being trained. Islamic State, Al Qaeda and other takfiri terrorists are US proxy foot soldiers, doing its killing and dying - to secure another client state by destroying Syria’s sovereign independence.
The Times: “Russian officials add to the tensions and growing suspicions (by) play(ing) down or l(ying) about what they are really up to, as they did in Ukraine.”
Fact: What they’re “up to” is working forthrightly for peaceful conflict resolution - polar opposite Washington’s war on humanity in multiple theaters, responsible for millions of deaths, countless disabling injuries, mass destruction, the largest refugee crisis since WW II and appalling human misery.
Times editors outrageously insist “Assad (must) be replaced as part of a negotiated political settlement that includes a transition to a new government” - ignoring his June 2014 overwhelming popular reelection judged open, free and fair by independent international observers.
Vladimir Putin, Sergey Lavrov and other Russian officials forthrightly insist Syrians alone may decide who’ll lead them - never meddling foreign powers like America and complicit allies, or irresponsible New York Times editors.
Their London Guardian counterparts are no better - earlier publishing some of the most outrageous anti-Russian propaganda over its role in Ukraine, wanting conflict conditions resolved diplomatically, having no involvement militarily, despite Big Lies claiming otherwise.
Guardian editors are at it again, saying “Russia has a lot to answer for” - shamelessly blaming Putin for supporting Assad’s nonexistent “large-scale killing of civilians…”
Despite no Russian military buildup in Syria, claiming otherwise irresponsibly, as well as denouncing Moscow’s legitimate right to supply its ally with contractually agreed on weapons and munitions along with vital humanitarian aid.
At the same time, Guardian editors barely acknowledge takfiri terrorists’ atrocities, entirely ignoring their use of chemical weapons wrongfully blamed on Assad.
“(W)hen the UN general assembly gathers (later this month), Mr. Putin should not be given the chance to bask in anti-Isis solidarity with the west as if he had no role in Syria’s killing fields,” Guardian editors blustered.
“Strong pressure must be brought to bear on him, because he is Mr. Assad’s chief patron, and Mr. Assad is the number one cause of deaths in Syria.”
Putin responsibly supports his Syrian ally against US enlisted, funded, armed, and trained Islamic state and other takfiri terrorists - deployed cross border from Turkey, Jordan and perhaps Israel, waging proxy aggression to destroy Syrian sovereign independence.
Obama and complicit allies bear full responsibility for endless Syrian mass slaughter, destruction and mass displacement.
Putin, Sergey Lavrov and other Russian officials are the best hope for resolving conflict diplomatically - never as long as Obama and whoever succeeds him want endless war, in Syria and elsewhere.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.