Posted on January 8, 2020 by Sarah Abed
Interview conducted on January 3rd, published on January 7th by FarsNews
TEHRAN (FNA)- Sarah Abed, writer, and political commentator says the White House’s claim that the terror attempt on the life of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani would increase the US security is another indication that the US “war on terror” is entirely a “facade”.
“Trump campaigned on ending wars and advocated an America first policy. However, after unilaterally pulling out of the JCPOA in 2018 and reinstating harsh sanctions, tensions with Iran have increased… If we do go to war with Iran, the election will be the least of our worries,” Abed told FNA in an exclusive interview.
Sarah Abed is an independent journalist and analyst who writes on a broad range of issues relating to the Syrian war, Kurdish issues in Iraq and Syria, as well as US policy in the Middle East. She appears frequently in international media and speaks at universities.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Q: Washington says the presence of the US troops in Iraq and Syria is to fight against Daesh (ISIL or ISIS). If that is the case, why did the US forces target General Qassem Soleimani who was an iconic anti-Daesh figure?
A: Fighting against Daesh and the entire “war on terrorism” façade are just the latest in a long list of lies and false pretexts used by the American government and corrupt corporate media to manipulate the general public into supporting yet another illegal and totally unnecessary war on an undeserving sovereign nation. If the truth were to get out that the United States created and supported terrorists, the American public would be less likely to blindly support another war where innocent people are killed, resources pillaged and plundered, infrastructure destroyed, historical monuments leveled, and entire cities turned to rubble. The assassination of IRCG Major General Qassem Soleimani a key figure in the fight against Daesh and subsequent claims by the Trump administration that his death will increase US security is just another chapter in Washington’s bloody book of lies and manipulation, where terrorists are revered and those who defeat them are vilified.
Q: How did you find Iraqi people’s reaction to the assassination?
A: Some people will ignorantly cheer on the destruction of their own nation because they have been sold a dream that the United States will bring them “democracy and liberty”, but if history is any indication that’s not how this works. It’s hard to believe that people can forget about the hundreds of thousands of deaths that resulted from the Iraq war, not to mention the devastating destruction because of the nonexistent weapons of mass destruction pretext. Even if a few dozen people went out yesterday and “danced in the streets” as Mike Pompeo mentioned in a tweet, that does not represent the entire Iraqi people. Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said that the assassination of an Iraqi military commander is an act of aggression against Iraq and the Iraqi people, and assassinating Iraqi and foreign figures on Iraqi soil is a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a dangerous escalation.
Q: How would Americans react? Will that help Trump get re-elected in November?
A: An individual’s global political knowledge or lack thereof and their preferred news sources are easily ascertained by their reaction to this assassination operation. Some welcomed the news, rejoiced, and praised President Trump’s grave mistake. In their distorted view, the United States is the world police, protector of the planet (maybe even the galaxy), and the good guys. Critical thinkers, however, question and read independent media, reject propagandists that garnered public support for all of the previous wars, and do not support Trump’s provocations. Trump campaigned on ending wars and advocated an America first policy. However, after unilaterally pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and reinstating harsh sanctions, tensions with Iran have increased. The only blessing in disguise could be quick deterioration in the upcoming days forcing US troops to leave Iraq and Syria, which could help his election. If we do go to war with Iran, the election will be the least of our worries.
Image Credit: Anti-war activist protest in front of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 4, 2020. Demonstrators are protesting the US drone attack which killed Iran’s Major General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq on January 3, a dramatic escalation in spiraling tensions between Iran and the US, which pledged to send thousands of more troops to the region. (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/via Getty Images)