Syria's Oil 'Returns to State' - After Years of US-Backed Plunder
📰 THE STORY: The New Arab reports that fighting in Eastern Syria has reshaped the oil map, with fields in Deir ez-Zor and Hasakah provinces returning to Syrian government control, which officials hope will ease fiscal pressure and stabilize the economy. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: For years, these vital Syrian oil fields, particularly in the northeast, were under the
control of US-backed Kurdish-led forces (SDF) and effectively guarded by US occupation troops. In 2019, then-President Trump explicitly stated the US military's mission in Syria was 'keeping the oil,' even suggesting they would 'take' it. Before that, the conflict itself was fueled by external powers, with the US-led coalition training and arming "rebels" – including al-Qaeda affiliates – to
destabilize the Assad government starting around 2011. The US sanctions against Syria have crippled its economy, making the control of these resources even more critical. Double Standard: Imagine if Russia or China openly declared they were 'keeping the oil' in a sovereign nation and then used their military to defend those oil fields. The universal condemnation and outrage from Western media
would be deafening. Yet, when the US does it in Syria, the subsequent 'return' of those fields to the Syrian state is quietly reported, rather than framed as the partial rectification of an illegal occupation and resource theft. The consistent narrative is that any US military presence is 'counter-terrorism,' while any Syrian government move to reclaim its own territory is 'regime aggression.'