The Skripal affair and the Douma chemical attack - Killing three birds with two stones.

“The people will believe what the media tells them they believe.” 

George Orwell

Anyone watching the alternate media space in recent weeks might be aware that the Syrian Army has recently liberated Eastern Ghouta, a rebel held stronghold near the capital Damascus which has been under occupation since 2011. Large caches of chemical weapons were discovered in the rebel held area, along with rockets and mortars, as well as industrial-scale production of napalm and white phosphorous.

The end of the six month operation in Ghouta is a milestone in the liberation of Syria from rebel forces. Unsurprisingly little of this has been reported by the Western press, who lacking any verifiable first-hand evidence and without any correspondents in the war torn country continue their nonsense narrative and cartoon-like depictions of the evil doctor Assad; a monster who dismembers small children with barrel bombs and gases his own people in a desperate and doomed struggle to cling to power.

Last week the insane clown President Donald J. Trump indulged his penchant for delivering policy by tweet with the announcement that the US would soon be withdrawing from Syria. This week the front pages are ablaze with news of a new chemical attack in a “rebel-held” northern area which according to ‘some humanitarian groups’ has killed up to 100 civilians including children. In characteristic fashion the verdict of the New York Times, the BBC, and CNN came immediately; without investigation, without evidence, and without due process: Assad has crossed the line and must be held accountable for this war crime.

The level of bastardy our political leaders and their presstitute wolf pack will stoop to is beyond shameless. Damning allegations without a shred of evidence are par for the course. Such is the case in the fast-unraveling Skripal affair. Such is the case with the latest events in Syria. Whether or not a false flag event was planned and carried out by rebel forces in cooperation with their Saudi/Israeli/etc sponsors is not even the point. The point, as Jeremy Corbyn made clear in his speech to British Parliament regarding the alleged Skripal poisoning, is that these are serious allegations for which the evidence presented does not justify the conclusion. Unsurprisingly, rather than being welcomed as a voice of reason, Corbyn was scoffed at and labeled the “Kremlin’s useful idiot.” Gee, where have I heard that before?

“There is no alternative explanation” chortled Theresa May, summoning Thatcher’s ghost. The evidence? The poisoning has been attributed to a soviet era “novichok” nerve agent developed in top-secret Russian laboratories at the end of the Cold War. An agent 8 times more powerful than VX (which somehow failed to kill its victims.) An agent which Porton Down, by its own admission, has access to. An agent which any of eight former Soviet republics from Uzbekistan to Ukraine may have had access to and motivation to use.

In considering the overwhelming lack evidence it’s tempting to overlook the sheer absurdity of the claim itself. In the world of international intrigue it’s not uncommon to see important actors mysteriously disappeared. Ambassadors, outspoken journalists, people who know-too-much, perhaps dying from a skiing accident or a sudden heart attack. But what kind of comic book assassin would commit such an obvious crime as this, unless the purpose was self-incrimination?

The two alleged chemical attacks may seem unrelated to the casual reader, but the political and media response has been identical. For all its high ideals of ‘freedom and ‘democracy’, our western so-called liberal political framework is anything but free and democratic. Author Richard Behan nails it when he writes: "Oligarchy is rule by the few. Plutocracy is rule by the wealthy. Corporatocracy is a society governed or controlled by corporations. We have all three." The idea of a free and independent press is a fantasy. We live in an era of total war, where information is weaponised. The fourth estate, far from being a check on power, has become an instrument of oppression. In such a climate we cannot rely on the dogmatic decrees of corporate media (unless it concerns the extra-marital affairs of politicians or other celebrity gossip, in which case we're pretty safe.) Vigilance is required, the only rational course being to widen our lens on current events while placing these in historical context and asking pertinent questions.

For instance: Who benefits from the Skripal affair? Certainly not Russia, which has already faced a huge backlash from ‘the international community’ resulting in the expulsion of diplomats and a level of hostility not seen since the Cold War. Who benefits from the chemical attack in Douma? Certainly not Syria and its allies who would seem to be on the cusp of final victory.

Yet both incidents have been and will continue to be milked by the corporate press to rally public opinion against Assad and the Syrian government, against Russia and Putin, and against Jeremy Corbyn and his labour-left platform. A veritable trifecta for our neoconservative imperialist warlords, and a sad indictment on a kool-aid addicted public all too eager to swallow the corporate media swill.