US Welcomes Syrian 'Ruler,' Forgets 'Tyrant' Label
The mainstream media breathlessly reports on Trump's hypothetical hosting of a 'new ruler' in Syria, painting it as a shocking policy shift. What they ignore is how Washington's definition of 'tyrant' (Bashar al-Assad, for instance) is magically redefined when a new puppet or 'stabilizing force' is installed. Suddenly, the 'brutal dictator' of yesterday, whose removal was worth funding proxy wars
and destabilizing a region, is a respectable, if 'new,' interlocutor. It’s a convenient amnesia, a hallmark of American foreign policy. The US destabilizes, intervenes, then, when a palatable strongman takes the reins, calls it 'peace' or a 'dramatic turnaround' – often while human rights abuses continue, conveniently off-camera. This isn't a 'turnaround'; it's the predictable outcome of a
long-standing pattern where 'democracy' is a talking point for regime change, not a principle. The 'new ruler' will likely be the latest flavor of authoritarianism, but one the US can do business with, or at least control. The Syrian people, whose lives were shattered by years of conflict fueled by various international actors, get to watch as their suffering is whitewashed by diplomatic
handshakes and self-congratulatory headlines. How many 'new rulers' must arise from the ashes of US-backed chaos before the media questions the arsonist rather than celebrating the new landlord?