The "Assad Must Go" Chant Has a Short Shelf Life When Geopolitics Shift
📰 THE STORY: The New Arab, citing Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, suggests that the international push to prosecute Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing Western demand, has quietly faded, effectively becoming a 'dormant' issue as regional normalization with Syria continues. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: Remember the "Assad Must Go" mantra? It wasn't
just a humanitarian outcry. In 2011, the US and its allies, including Gulf states, poured billions into supporting so-called 'moderate rebels' to overthrow Assad, weaponizing groups that included al-Qaeda affiliates like Jabhat al-Nusra. This proxy war destabilized Syria, led to hundreds of thousands of deaths, and created the refugee crisis, all while Western media amplified a narrative blaming
only Assad for the violence, ignoring the significant foreign intervention. The US even maintained an illegal military presence in Syria to this day, ostensibly to fight ISIS, but also to deny the Syrian government control over oil-rich regions. Double Standard: Western media and governments have long championed international justice and accountability for leaders they oppose, like Assad or Putin.
Yet, they remain conspicuously silent when it comes to prosecuting Western leaders—or their allies—for war crimes. Where is the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment for George W. Bush or Tony Blair for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which led to over a million deaths? Or for Israeli officials facing credible accusations of genocide in Gaza, with South Africa presenting a compelling case to