"Fully Expose the Essence of American Hegemony and Bullying" (Deep Observation) War | Syria | United States

A war ruin in the Hajar Asward district of the Syrian capital Damascus.

Photo by our reporter Xue Dan

Core Reading

The United States has been involved in the Syrian crisis for a long time, frequently engaging in military intervention, illegally imposing severe unilateral sanctions, causing a large number of civilian casualties in Syria, and facing numerous difficulties in economic development and reconstruction processes. To this day, the United States still dominates Syria's main oil producing areas, plundering over 80% of its oil production, smuggling and burning Syrian food stocks, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. In May of this year, Syria returned to the Arab League family, which was welcomed by the United Nations and many countries. The United States not only unilaterally opposed or even warned the Arab League, but also announced the extension of unilateral sanctions against Syria for another year.

This year, the Syrian crisis has entered its thirteenth year. The crisis, which has caused at least 350000 deaths and 14 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, is still ongoing. Recently, our reporter visited many parts of Syria, and various sectors of society lamented the enormous pain caused to the Syrian people by the United States' hegemonic and bullying practices.

"If it weren't for war and sanctions, how good would our lives be?"

Entering a residential area in Homs, the third largest city in Syria, Naam Rustone's family is sitting in their rented home. Upon learning that the reporter had come to be a guest, Ruston immediately stood up to borrow money from her neighbor's house to buy coffee. The reporter quickly politely declined her warm hospitality. Due to financial constraints, coffee has become a luxury item for many local residents.

Rustone's home is lined with walls full of holes on one side and an old iron door creaking on the other. Bullet holes can be seen everywhere on the walls outside the house. Hussam, the husband of Rustone, said that even renting such a house would require a monthly rent of 180000 Syrian pounds, which is the monthly income of many Syrians.

After the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, the US government imposed illegal unilateral sanctions, prohibiting Americans from providing commercial services and investments to Syria, and the financial system also prohibited accepting US dollar transactions originating from Syria. In 2019, the United States introduced the "Caesar Act", which implemented "long arm jurisdiction" and set numerous obstacles for foreign investors to invest in Syria, further blocking the Syrian economy.

"In the past, the daily life of most Syrians was secure. Now, US sanctions have led to a continuous depreciation of the Syrian currency and rising prices." Husham told reporters that the local tomato was priced at 3500 Syrian pounds per kilogram, compared to only 15 Syrian pounds 12 years ago. It is understood that before the outbreak of the Syrian crisis, the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Syrian pound was 1:50, and currently the black market exchange rate is 1:8900.

Syrian columnist Muhammad Omali of the newspaper "Motherland" stated that the more than 10 year long war has caused serious damage to Syria's infrastructure, with a large amount of capital fleeing and rising prices. The United States has been implementing illegal unilateral sanctions for a long time, frequently smuggling Syrian goods such as oil and food, further exacerbating Syria's energy and food shortages, and exacerbating Syria's economic and social development. "Syria used to be a food exporting country, but now it is suffering from food shortages under US sanctions, which is the disaster brought to us by US hegemony."

Husham said that after the Syrian government army recaptured Homs, he had also considered returning to his rural hometown with his family to rebuild houses, but the landmines laid around during the war had not been completely cleared, and he and his family dared not take the risk of returning home. "My brother has passed away in the war, and my mother can't bear the pain of losing another son anymore." Husham's mother remained silent for a long time and said, "If it weren't for war and sanctions, how good our lives would be. And who caused all of this? I think the United States is the culprit."

"Seriously disrupting Syria's normal economic and social order from multiple aspects"

On the road from the capital Damascus to Homs, ruins and abandoned homes can be seen everywhere. The car the reporter was riding in encountered multiple checkpoints, and the military and police officers with live ammunition rigorously checked passing vehicles. Under multiple impacts such as war, sanctions, epidemics, and natural disasters, Syria's economic and social development has been severely hindered, and the humanitarian situation is severe. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, currently about 70% of Syrians urgently need humanitarian assistance.

The Chairman of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Miriana Š Poliarich, stated that Syria has experienced years of war and crisis, and the local people's lives are very difficult. The earthquake that occurred in February this year further worsened the situation. During the war, local civilian infrastructure suffered large-scale damage, and earthquakes caused many houses to collapse. Many local residents may live in temporary shelters for a long time.

Syrian political analyst Salkis Kasalyan told our reporter, "The illegal intervention of the United States in the Syrian crisis has seriously disrupted the normal economic and social order of Syria from multiple aspects, and has brought the daily life of every Syrian person into a quagmire." Kasalyan said that before the war, Syria had sufficient and reasonable electricity, fuel, food, and other supplies, and locals often traveled to the surrounding areas. Nowadays, these have become a luxury that ordinary people cannot reach.

Wafa is an employee of a tobacco company in the western Syrian city of Latakia. More than 10 years ago, Wafa not only bought a house in the downtown area of Latakia, but also frequently went to restaurants and shopping malls. "At that time, my annual salary could reach over $3600, which was enough to support my daily life and that of my family. Since the US sanctions against Syria, our lives have been completely disrupted." Wafa told our reporter that now her monthly salary is less than $40, and in order to support her family, she had to find two additional part-time jobs. Nevertheless, income is still difficult to meet daily expenses. Wafa pointed to his leather shoes that he had been wearing for over 10 years and smiled bitterly, saying, "I used to be able to afford a house, but now I can't afford shoes."

"Before the Syrian War, the middle-income group in Syria accounted for a considerable proportion, and now more than 90% of the population lives below the poverty line." Omali said that the United States plays an ugly role in the Syrian issue: on the one hand, illegally stationed troops on Syrian territory and supplying weapons to the opposition, undermining Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity; On the other hand, using the so-called "Caesar Act" as a big stick, implementing an economic blockade, attempting to force Syria to surrender economically. "The United States also obstructs other countries' efforts to develop normal relations with Syria and undermines other countries' efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis."

"The purpose of the United States is to tear apart traditional Syrian culture, destroy social consensus in Syria, and thus provoke war in Syria." Kasalyan said that the series of actions taken by the United States on the Syrian issue "fully expose the essence of American hegemony and hegemony.".

"The United States is obstructing and undermining peace and stability in the Middle East region"

Continuing along the bombed neighborhood of Homs, the reporter met Philas Saleh, who was running a small business by setting up a stall. After the outbreak of the Syrian War, terrorist forces became rampant, and Uncle Saleh and his family of 23 were brutally killed, while his own family was also driven away from their homeland. In 2016, during a terrorist attack by ISIS militants, Saleh was unfortunately shot and severely injured, resulting in significant damage to his labor capacity.

The United States and its Western allies launched airstrikes and military intervention in Syria under the pretext of "Syrian government forces using chemical weapons against civilians.". However, its so-called "evidence" is nothing more than a self written, self directed, and self performed performance by the "White Helmet" organization funded by Western intelligence agencies. Saleh said that the United States keeps saying that they are stationed in Syria to combat terrorist organizations, but in fact, the opposite is true. It is precisely the military intervention of the United States that has led to terrorist organizations gradually expanding and carrying out destructive actions in many places.

Syrian Presidential Special Advisor Busina Shaban stated that the United States is stealing a large amount of oil, natural gas, and wheat in parts of northern and eastern Syria, with dozens of trucks transporting supplies from Syria every day. "The United States claims that its military presence in northern Syria is aimed at combating terrorist forces, but in reality, the United States is obstructing and undermining peace and stability in the Middle East."

Kasalyan believes that for a period of time, the United States has frequently provoked conflicts in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Middle Eastern countries, and pushing local people into the abyss of turmoil and poverty. "Faced with the cruel reality, we need to ask the United States, where is the 'democracy' promised to Middle Eastern countries?"