Hillary Warns Iran to Stay Out of Syria

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright August 10, 2012
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           Affirming support for Syria, Iran put Western powers on notice that it intends to back Bashar al-Assad.  Engulfed in a bloody civil war since March 15, 2011, Amnesty International estimates over 16,000 Syrian civilians have lost their lives.  Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan tried in vain to push his six-point peace plan designed to stop the violence and transition Syria to democratic rule.  Al-Assad didn’t appreciate Kofi’s Western bias of seeking regime change in Damascus.  Iran’s Security Chief Saeed Jalili met with al-Assad in Damascus following his brief appearance on Syrian TV.  Al-Assad told Jalili that foreign forces, largely backed by the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, have tried to topple his Alawite Shiite regime.  Now poised for a decisive battle in Aleppo, al-Assad needs all the help he can get from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to beat back rebels.

            Speaking in Johannesburg, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned foreign governments against fighting a proxy war in Syria.  “Those who are attempting to exploit the misery of the Syrian people, whether by sending in proxies or sending in terrorist fighters, must recognize that that will not be tolerated,” said Hillary.  When President Barack Obama announced Aug. 2 $12 million in additional humanitarian aid to Syrian rebels, he pitted the U.S. against Russia and China on the U.N. Security Council.  Both Syrian allies support the al-Assad government and want to let Syrians solve their own problems.  Without naming names, Hillary pointed fingers at Saudi Arabia, whose Wahhabist Sunni factions have no love for Syria’s Shiites.  “We are talking about the type of extremists and terrorists that would throw further fuel on the fire and kill more innocent civilians,” said State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell.

            State Department officials know too well about fighting proxy wars with Mideast mercenaries.  Russia remembers well U.S. support for Osama Bin Laden’s mujahedeen fighters during its failed 10-year war in Afghanistan.  When the Soviets finally threw in the towel Feb. 15, 1989, 14,353 Russian troops had lost their lives.  During that 10-year-long guerrilla war, the U.S. supported Taliban fighters and Bin Laden’s holy warriors to expel the Soviets.  That same year, the Berlin Wall fell Nov. 9, 1989, paving the way to the end of the Soviet Union Dec. 21, 1991.  Iran and Hezbollah are Syria’s natural Shiite allies, pitted bitterly against Wahhabist groups in Saudi Arabia.  Islamic militants connected with al-Qaeda and other radical Sunni groups have flooded across the Syrian border to upend al-Assad’s grip on power.  U.S. officials have repeatedly called Tehran’s “destructive behavior” a hindrance to peace talks.

            When Syrian rebel forces loyal to the Free Syrian Army captured a band of Iranian mercenaries Aug. 5 on a “reconnaissance mission,” the Iranian government cried foul.  “Kidnapping innocent people is not acceptable anywhere in the world,” said Jalili in Damascus, protesting the Iranian’s capture.  Iran routinely captures anyone close to its border, including innocent hikers or roving merchants, accuses them of spying, demands ransom or imprisons or executes them.  Iran’s loud pleas for the release of their hostages raise eyebrows.  U.S. officials don’t forget when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei-backed militants seized the U.S. embassy Nov. 14, 1979 keeping 52 hostages 444 days until President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated Jan. 20, 1981.  Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi flew to Ankara, Turkey to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to secure the hostages release.

            Playing cat-and-mouse, Hillary must face honestly the way both sides play the proxy game in Syria.  Al-Assad has made many enemies seeking to topple his Shiite regime.  Saudi Arabia has little patience for al-Assad’s tactics in supporting Iran and Hezbollah against Israel.  Israel officials have kept mum watching developments in Syria.  While bitter enemies—with Israel bombing Syria’s al-Kibar nuclear facility Sept. 6, 2007—Israel, like Russia and China, prefers the status quo over an unknown regime to follow al-Assad.  U.S. officials claim they don’t know the rebel group responsible for capturing what Iran calls “religious pilgrims.”  Iran finds itself with little sympathy from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, knowing Iran’s past and current hostage-taking track record.  Hillary must decide whether playing the proxy games serves U.S. national security.

            Calling Iran guilty of playing a proxy war makes good headlines but doesn’t mirror the dangerous game of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  None of the players on the rebel side add any stability to the Middle East.  No matter how much U.S. officials detest al-Assad, the White House should consider the repercussions of battling with Russia and China on the U.N. Security Council.  Kofi’s failed peace plan pitted the U.S. against Russia and China, two essential players in world prosperity, peace and stability.  Supporting a proxy war in Syria pits the U.S. against Russia and China, something bound to backfire at some strategic point ahead.  Al-Assad doesn’t threaten U.S. national security, other than supporting its own proxy war against Israel primarily through Hezbollah.  Backing Islamic fundamentalists to fight al-Assad can only boomerang, hurting U.S. national security.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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