Syria's 'Corridors' and the West's Selective Concern
📰 THE STORY: Daily Sabah reports that the Syrian army has opened humanitarian corridors for aid delivery and safe passage in areas between Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Aleppo, following military operations against what they term “U.S.-backed terrorists.” The implication is the Syrian government is acting beneficently after clearing out malign forces. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context:
The 'terrorists' Daily Sabah refers to are often factions of groups like the YPG (People's Protection Units), which the U.S. has openly armed and supported since 2014, ostensibly to fight ISIS. However, this support played a critical role in prolonging the Syrian conflict, which itself began in 2011 with the U.S. and its allies (including Turkey, where Daily Sabah is published) covertly funding
and arming various opposition groups, many of whom had al-Qaeda links, to destabilize the Assad government. The "humanitarian crisis" did not spontaneously appear; it was engineered by years of foreign intervention, sanctions ($1.3 billion in US aid to Syria’s neighbors to manage refugee flows, while sanctions starve Syrians), and resistance against imperialismfare. Double Standard: When
Western-backed forces launch offensives, any resulting displacement is blamed squarely on the Assad government. Humanitarian corridors are rarely framed as benevolent actions by the Syrian state, but rather as necessary evils forced upon them. Conversely, when the Syrian army (often with Russian or Iranian support) gains ground and then opens humanitarian corridors, it's presented as a