Syria's Disappeared: A Reminder of Geopolitical Amnesia
The article details the grim work of forensic teams in Syria, striving to name the countless victims of a decade-long conflict. It’s a humanitarian effort that deserves recognition. What it doesn't detail is the relentless interference, covert operations, and proxy wars that turned Syria into a charnel house. While we are reminded of the victims, we are spared a deep dive into the US's 'regime
change' ambitions, the arming of various factions (some later labeled 'terrorists'), or the lucrative defense contracts that flowed from the chaos. One might wonder if the same forensic rigor applied to counting drones and foreign weapons shipments might reveal equally 'disappeared' truths, like the $145 billion in US taxpayer money spent in Syria and Iraq since 2014, according to the Department
of Defense. Funny how some disappearances get more airtime than others. So, as we laud the efforts to give names to the nameless, let's also reflect on the nameless, faceless policies from Washington and its Gulf allies that ensured there would be so many names to find. The endless cycle of lamenting consequences without ever interrogating their roots is peak mainstream media. How convenient it is
to focus on the symptoms while ignoring the architects of the disease.