Geopolitically Clueless Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson by Stephen Lendman
When asked what hed do about Aleppo if elected president, Johnson astonishingly replied: (W)hat is Aleppo?
Asked if he was kidding, he said no. Pre-war, Aleppo was Syrias largest city, its main commercial hub. Now its the epicenter of weeks of war for control over a key part of the country.
James Petras believes its liberation would strike a decisive blow against the alliance of Saudi Arabia, Washington and Turkey.
Defeating terrorism in Aleppo will turn the war, said Petras. (O)nce (it) falls, Raqqa is next, ISIS stronghold in the country, and Syria will be liberated.
A disquieting development is Turkeys August 24 invasion of northern Syria on the phony pretext of combating ISIS fighters it supports - wanting areas it occupies and more bordering its territory annexed.
Petras calls its action a threat for all democratic forces in the Middle East. Preserving Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity depend on challenging and deterring its aggression responsibly and decisively.
Gary Johnsons troubling geopolitical ignorance is unsurprising. His gaffe is reminiscent of Gerald Ford once saying (t)here is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe while debating Jimmy Carter.
Hes like most Americans, sublimely ignorant about the nations imperial wars, why theyre waged, the millions of lives lost, the rape and destruction of one country after another, wanting all independent ones transformed into US vassal states.
Propagandists posing as journalists are know-nothings, regurgitating scripts handed them to viewers and readers, leaving them unaware of whats most important to know.
Johnsons interviewer calling Aleppo the epicenter of the refugee crisis failed to explain half of all Syrians displaced internally or externally, millions more affected the same way in all US war theaters.
Americas self-styled newspaper of record New York Times misreported, calling Aleppo the de facto capital of the Islamic State, later mistakenly saying its ISIS stronghold - wrong on both counts and one more, referring to Aleppo as Syrias capital.
Anyone with minimum knowledge of whats going on in Syria knows its Damascus. Americans are consistently fed misinformation or willfully lied to.
Media scoundrels complicit with authorities in Washington keep them in the dark, uninformed on vital issues affecting their lives and welfare.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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