Obama's UN Speech: Propaganda in Slow Motion

Once again in regard to the war in Syria western "leaders" deliver constant propaganda in slow motion. U.S. President Obama delivered his polished yet predictable propaganda in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 28, 2015. When speaking to an audience consisting of foreign diplomats and leaders, U.S. Presidents must reiterate lest anyone forget of the U.S. indispensable contribution to creating the gift to humanity more or less known as the post World War Two international order. Once Obama reminded his audience of that undeniable truth (millions of victims in North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, etc notwithstanding), he discussed specific challenges endangering global peace and stability.

President Obama wasted no time stating false causal claims:

"Today, we see the collapse of strongmen and fragile states breeding conflict, and driving innocent men, women and children across borders on an epic scale. Brutal networks of terror have stepped into the vacuum." [1].

The body of facts available weaken and contradict their claims of populists peacefully uprising against a dictator. President Obama's causal claim asserts "brutal networks of terror" are filling the power vacuum exposed by the weakening of the Syrian state. His claim ignores a critical fact.

To the degree that the Syrian war has triggered a refugee crisis, the emergence of the "brutal networks" drove "innocent men, women and children across borders." Obama willfully neglects the analysis conducted by his own U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) wherein they acknowledge terror groups' support for the Syrian opposition from the beginning:

AQI (Al Quaeda In Iraq) SUPPORTED THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION FROM THE BEGINNING, BOTH IDEOLOGICALLY AND THROUGH THE MEDIA….. AQI CONDUCTED A NUMBER OF OPERATIONS IN SEVERAL SYRIAN CITIES UNDER THE NAME JAISH AL NUSRAH (VICTORIOUS ARMY) [2].

And, the DIA further warned in their report what consequences to expect if Al Quaeda and Syrian opposition create enough chaos:

IF THE SITUATION UNRAVELS THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A DECLARED OR UNDECLARED SALAFIST PRINCIPALITY IN EASTERN SYRIA AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE SUPPORTING POWERS TO THE OPPOSITION WANT, IN ORDER TO ISOLATE THE SYRIAN REGIME WHICH IS CONSIDERED THE STRATEGIC DEPTH OF THE SHIA EXPANSION (IRAQ AND IRAN). THE DETERIORATION OF THE SITUATION HAS DIRE CONSEQUENCES ON THE IRAQI SITUATION…… THIS CREATES THE IDEAL ATMOSPHERE FOR AQI (Al Quaeda in Iraq) TO RETURN TO ITS OLD POCKETS IN MOSUL AND RAMADI, AND WILL PROVIDE A RENEWED MOMENTUM UNDER THE PRESUMPTION OF UNIFYING THE JIHAD AMONG SUNNI IRAQ AND SYRIA AND THE REST OF THE SUNNIS IN THE ARAB WORLD AGAINST WHAT IT CONSIDERS ONE ENEMY, THE DISSENTERS. ISI COULD ALSO DECLARE AN ISLAMIC STATE THROUGH ITS UNION WITH OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN IRAQ AND SYRIA, WHICH WILL CREATE GRAVE DANGER IN REGARDS TO UNIFYING IRAQ AND THE PROTECTION OF ITS TERRITORY. [3]

Yes the pedantic minds can state that this DIA report doesn't explicitly refer to ISIL, ISIS, or Daesh. But, this pedantic view emphasizes semantics too much. Those terms expressed in the DIA's report all refer to extremist jihadist groups operating in the region. The DIA certainly did not mention any viable "moderates" opposing Assad. Obama himself acknowledged that a strategy using moderates (i.e. secular rebels) in Syria to combat ISIS was a "fantasy." He demonstrated further in his speech that the DIA's analysis was worthless in 2012 but its warnings become noteworthy now when informing the world that:

We know that ISIL — which emerged out of the chaos of Iraq and Syria — depends on perpetual war to survive. [4]

So Obama uses the U.N. General Assembly to tell the world what it should already know. He also repeats events that became instant myths in 2011:

Let’s remember how this started. Assad reacted to peaceful protests by escalating repression and killing that, in turn, created the environment for the current strife. [5]

By his telling us what to remember, he hopes that we will forget other critical events that occurred during the initial phase of the anti-Assad opposition movement. For instance,

Seven police officers and at least four demonstrators in Syria have been killed in continuing violent clashes that erupted in the southern town of Daraa last Thursday. … and the Baath Party Headquarters and courthouse were torched, in renewed violence on Sunday. [6] 

But, why focus on such details? Obama speaks on behalf of an empire that discards such details that would, if discussed, prompt our questioning the necessity of overthrowing Assad.

Obama also engaged in expressing empty platitudes. He references partnership with China in one instance then subsequently references the importance of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) from which the U.S. has thus far excluded China. But, my citing additional examples is unnecessary to show that his whole speech was a textbook example of Orwellian doublespeak.

[1]. "President Obama's Speech to the United Nations General Assembly 2015." The New York Times. September 28, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/world/americas/president-obamas-speech-to-the-united-nations-general-assembly-2015.html?_r=0

[2].Declassified document. pgs. 297-93 (291) JW v DOD and State 14-812 May 18, 2015. Judicial Watch. http://www.judicialwatch.org/document-archive/pgs-287-293-291-jw-v-dod-and-state-14-812-2/

[3]. Ibid. 

[4]. "Obama's Speech.....2015"

[5]. Ibid.

[6]. Chossudovsky, Michel. "Syria, The War Started Four Years Ago in March 2011: Who Was Behind The Protest Movement? Fabricating a Pretext for a U.S.-NATO "Humanitarian Intervention." March 15, 2015. Global Research: Centre for Research on Globalization. http://www.globalresearch.ca/syria-who-is-behind-the-protest-movement-fabricating-a-pretext-for-a-us-nato-humanitarian-intervention/24591