The 2012 U.S. Intervention in Syria

Daniel Lazare unearths and criticizes the Hillary Clinton memo that urged on the U.S. intervention in Syria in 2012. He dates it as the end of April, 2012.

To support his analysis, which points a finger of guilt at the U.S., what did we learn of on LRC in real time as 2012 unfolded? The following blog entries are only a sample of those across the internet that will depict the whole story when collected and collated.

1. “Elsewhere, Hillary Clinton says that in Syria ‘the situation is spiraling toward civil war.’ This is true, because it’s the U.S. that’s making the situation spiral into civil war.” [Emphasis in the original.] See here. DATE: June 13, 2012.

2. “The CIA is involved in Syria. We knew this already.” See here. DATE: June 22, 2012.

3. “An analyst with sources in Syria calls it ‘war under the table.’ He squarely says the U.S. has brought about the war.” See here. DATE: July 30, 2012.

4. “The U.S. government has now let it leak out that Obama earlier this year or last year gave the green light to further U.S. intervention in Syria. We already know that the U.S. has been engaged in overthrowing the government in Syria.” See here. DATE: August 4, 2012.

Even earlier, we read

5. “Always count on the CIA for fake horrors that they blame on regimes they wish to topple. Gaddafi’s soldiers juiced on Viagra…the Iraqis killing babies in incubators in Kuwait?…Syria is bound to be in the news with such stories now that Obama and Clinton are intent on removing Assad.” See here. DATE: April 3, 2012.

6. “The wicked witch of the east [Hillary Clinton] has signaled the policy shift of the U.S. to bring down the current Syrian government by saying ‘We believe Assad must go…'” See here. DATE: April 2, 2012.

7. From Eric Margolis on March 26, 2012: “The US, Britain, France, and some conservative Arab allies have funded and armed the Syrian rebellion from its start a year ago. In fact, the US has been funding anti-Assad groups since the mid 1990’s. Arms and munitions are said to be flowing to Syria’s rebels through Jordan and Lebanon. Extreme rightwing groups in Lebanon, funded by western and Arab powers and Israel, are playing a key role in infiltrating gunmen and arms into northern Syria.” On the same date, support for this reporting appeared here.

8. The Brits partner with the U.S. and often provide reliable signals for coordinated action. Prime Minister David Cameron on March 7, 2012 attacked Assad, labeling him a criminal. See here. “In these remarks before Parliament with respect to threatening Assad, he speaks of ‘international justice’ having a ‘long reach.'” Cameron was almost surely influencing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on intervening in Syria and/or vice versa.

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8:32 am on January 12, 2019