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US, Russia repeating same mistakes in Syria as in Afghanistan

With the US and Russia backing opposite military forces in Syria, they are creating the same mistakes as they did in Afghanistan in the 1980s, which led to the creation of al Qaeda and the never-ending “war on terror.”

Last year, US President Barack Obama called Russia’s strategy in Syria a “recipe for disaster,” but what the American head of state failed to recognize is that pitting US interests against that of Russia’s in a Middle-Eastern country has already been done before with devastating consequences.

As Russia continues to support Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in combating the rebels, the rebels are being backed by the United States. However, the US has not only been reckless with their bombing campaigns that are killing hundreds of civilians, the American coalition is also providing weapons and funds to the very terror organizations they are supposedly trying to eliminate, such as the so-called Islamic State.

Yesterday, the BBC reported that rebel factions in Syria had broken the government siege of Aleppo by uniting the various rebel groups.

“UK-based activists say the rebels have indeed managed to link up with their comrades in eastern Aleppo.”

“Their assault,” CNN reports, is “the first test for a new group born out of al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate — appears to have taken the exhausted Syrian army by surprise.”

There had been a divide in the US intelligence community over whom the rebels actually were. Thrown into the mix is the so-called Islamic State, who actually received weapons from the US that were meant for the rebels.

According to CNN, “Although the rebel alliance is dominated by jihadist groups, the Aleppo offensive also includes several groups that have been supported by the West, such as Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki. That may complicate any discussions between the United States and Russia on how to target jihadist factions in Syria while leaving more moderate groups intact.”

With the consolidation in rebel leadership, what type of movement will emerge once the war is over?

What happened the last time the US and Russia fought in the Middle East

It’s a scene that’s been played out before that only has perpetuated more terrorism and has made the world a less safer place.

In the 1980s, the Soviet Union and the United States flexed their Cold War muscles in Afghanistan. In an attempt to prevent Communism from spreading into the Middle East, the United States armed and funded the Mujahideen freedom fighters in Afghanistan to take out the Soviet forces.

It is no secret that the CIA funded and trained Osama bin Laden (a native of Saudi Arabia) to the tune of $3 billion.

The CIA armed, funded, and trained the very Afghanis that later became the Taliban and the terrorist organization al Qaeda. al Qaeda, which literally means “the network” in Arabic, is in fact the name given to the organization by the CIA.

While the Soviet Russians were eventually expelled from Afghanistan, the country fell under the rule of the Taliban where al Qaeda was bred and buttered.

What will the Syrian Free Army rebel alliance transform itself into once they are off the radar of the West?

History repeats

What we are seeing today in Syria is a continuation of the ego-thumping, self-interests of both the United States and Russia in a country that neither should be involved with. It took nearly 20 years for the actions of both countries to have severe repercussions worldwide when al Qaeda allegedly attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 9/11.

Who knows how long it will take for the world to feel the pressure of the events unfolding in Syria at this moment. Perhaps they are already? The influx of Syrian refugees into neighboring Lebanon and across the Mediterranean Sea into Europe has already been weighing down on the host countries.

As for now, with the US and Russia competing for control of Syria, they are putting millions of civilians in their graves as cannon fodder. Those who live are forced into prostitution while an unprecedented number of Syrian children are suicidal.

Where the war in Syria is heading

If these are the immediate consequences of foreign intervention in Syria, what will the future hold 20 years down the road when the surviving children of “hell on earth” grow up? Where will their hatred be directed, and more importantly, who will be leading them?

What future wars are being created at this very moment? How many terrorists are being weaned? And how long will this struggle continue before it bleeds westward?

Apart from bringing us the “war on terror,” the war in Afghanistan brought the CIA and US military complete control over the production of opium and heroin from the poppy fields – a multi-billion dollar a year investment.

Once the dust settles on Syria, how will the country be exploited? Most likely, it will come in the form of another multi-billion dollar proposal known as the Trans-Arabian pipeline that links with Qatar, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Lebanon sits to the west of Syria with over a million refugees. The military is weak, ISIS is knocking at the door, and Israel awaits the opportune moment to invade. One can observe from a distance and question, was it all planned to happen this way?

Tim Hinchliffe

The Sociable editor Tim Hinchliffe covers tech and society, with perspectives on public and private policies proposed by governments, unelected globalists, think tanks, big tech companies, defense departments, and intelligence agencies. Previously, Tim was a reporter for the Ghanaian Chronicle in West Africa and an editor at Colombia Reports in South America. These days, he is only responsible for articles he writes and publishes in his own name. tim@sociable.co