Opinion Editorials, July 2011

Syria as Part of Arab Popular Revolt

By AIK

Anti-imperialist Camp (Austrian section) Vienna (AIK), July 19, 2011

Freedom is anti-imperialist, truth is revolutionary, imperialist intervention is never justified

A new spirit is spreading in the Arab region taking different shapes of movements for democracy, social justice and national sovereignty. Although in each country the movements are occupied with the local condition, a new Arab spirit is being born among the popular masses, who again have shown more political courage, sense for organisation and clarity in their demands, not only more than expected, but also more than most of the opposition elites ever had.

It is this spirit which is the real threat against the comprador regimes of the region, which poses the most serious challenge to the Western hegemony in the region since the 60ies.

After the crucial character change in the “democratic spring” caused by the Libyan rebellion, turning from a peaceful mass movement into an armed conflict between elites accompanied with a Western intervention, the outbreak of the protests in Syria lead to further confusion within the progressive and anti-imperialist spectrum. The situation is delicate indeed.

In this context, we should emphasise the following:

1. The Syrian uprising can not be observed in an isolated way from the regional developments. It is an authentic popular movement for freedom and social justice against a mafia-bureaucratic capitalist regime which protects the monstrous privileges of its cronies. (The billionaire Rami Makhlouf and cousin of Assad is symbol of this system.) Its demands, even if directed to a “resistance-supporting regime”, are therefore legitimate. On the middle term, only a sovereign and democratic Arab region controlling and developing its wealth by its own forces will be able to win the confrontation with imperialism and its Zionist outpost.

2. Although very similar in its capitalist character, the Arab regimes differ in the distance to the West. The relationship varies from extreme existential dependence and strategic alliance (like in the case of Saudi Arabia and Jordan) up to a pragmatic approach to the West seeking compromise, such as Sudan and Syria, called “reservation”. The Syrian regime was always counted on the “reservation” side, supporting real resistance movements to improve his position within the balance of power against Israel and the Western hegemony in the region. This distance, as well as the ability of each regime to maintain the status-quo, determines the Western attitude to the democratic movements in the region.

3. Therefore it is understandable that the Syrian popular uprising against the repression and the corruption of Assad’s regime put anti-imperialist forces in a delicate position: on the one hand, it is imperative to support the legitimate people demand for freedom and social justice, while on the other hand, it is also imperative to refuse the Western intervention, especially when it is against a sovereign state who is a part of the last “real-existing” resistance axis in the region. The stake might be high, but it is worth it.

4. We, as Austrian section of the Anti-imperialist Camp, support the mass demands and denounce violence against peaceful protestors. No “pro-resistance” position justifies this excessive violence towards demonstrators. We welcome the congress of the Syrian opposition held in Damascus on June 26th as a healthy sign of the formation of a national opposition inside the country and from within the movement, as well as a sign of the success of the movement in forcing the regime to allow it.

5. We denounce all attempts of the West and its regional agents to intervene in the Syrian uprising and to deform and misuse the legitimate demands in favour of neo-colonial interests. We denounce the instrumentalisation of the Syrian uprising by Zionist and pro-imperialist forces. The Libyan tragedy must not be repeated!

6. We denounce the attempts to militarise to conflict as external infiltration to destabilise the country. Such activities will end in marginalising the mass movement and helping the regime in suppressing it, and open the way for a foreign intervention. Turkish threats of creating a “safe zone” on Syrian soil can only be observed in this context.

7. We urge the Syrian regime to immediately stop repression against the protest movement and to accept the legitimate democratic demands. We call for a real dialogue taking the first step towards a democratic pluralistic system, which maintains the anti-imperialist moment and grants freedom, social justice and heads towards a constituent assembly.

Freedom, democracy, and human rights are the contradiction to imperialism and Zionism! For a free, sovereign Syria and united Arab region! Down with the US imperialist order!

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