Posing as a non-political solidarity organization, the Syria Campaign leverages local partners and media contacts to push the U.S. into toppling another Middle Eastern government.
Blumenthal published this article in October of 2016 in his webzine, Alternet. We re-publish it here because of its haunting relevance to recent events in Syria.
On September 30, demonstrators gathered in city squares across the West for a "
weekend of action" to "stop the bombs" raining down from Syrian government and Russian warplanes on rebel-held eastern Aleppo. Thousands joined the protests, holding signs that read "
Topple Assad" and declaring, "
Enough With Assad." Few participants likely knew that the actions were organized under the auspices of an opposition-funded public relations company called the Syria Campaign.
By partnering with local groups like the Syrian civil defense workers popularly known as the White Helmets, and through a vast network of connections in media and centers of political influence, The Syria Campaign has played a crucial role in disseminating images and stories of the horrors visited this month on eastern Aleppo. The group is able to operate within the halls of power in Washington and
has the power to mobilize thousands of demonstrators into the streets. Despite its outsized role in shaping how the West sees Syria's civil war, which is now in its sixth year and entering one of its grisliest phases, this outfit remains virtually unknown to the general public.
The Syria Campaign presents itself as an impartial, non-political voice for ordinary Syrian citizens that is dedicated to civilian protection. "We see ourselves as a solidarity organization," The Syria Campaign strategy director James Sadri told me. "We're not being paid by anybody to pursue a particular line. We feel like we've done a really good job about finding out who the frontline activists, doctors, humanitarians are and trying to get their word out to the international community."
Yet behind the lofty rhetoric about solidarity and the images of heroic rescuers rushing in to save lives is an agenda that aligns closely with the forces from Riyadh to Washington clamoring for regime change. Indeed, The Syria Campaign has been
pushing for a no-fly zone in Syria that
would require at least "70,000 American servicemen" to enforce, according to a Pentagon
assessment,
along with the destruction of government infrastructure and military installations. There is no record of a no-fly zone being imposed without regime change following -which seems to be exactly what The Syria Campaign and its partners want.
Comment: See also: Chemical weapons from Germany and smoke bombs from UK found in liberated Eastern Ghouta - Russian Foreign Ministry