Ok, ok. Yes, gratuitous sanctions on Syria are basically beating a country that's already down after 9 years of civil war. And, innocent Syrians will die as a result.

OTOH, Trump Heights is a go! Investors may qualify for financing now that Syria can't really do anything to stop the project.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/...

The entire point of the sanctions is to make ordinary people suffer.

And that my friend, is America's sole exceptionalism: its ability to inflict harm everywhere they want.

Were to God that you were wrong.

The US has no business in Syria. Assad is not a radical muslim nor is his government. He may be a dictator. He may be a despot when threatened but the Assad regime granted womens rights and compared to Saudi Wahabism and other radical elements of Islam, Assad was a moderate leaning very much to the west. It may be a security issue for Israel but that doesnt not make every Israeli security issue a US problem to be interceded and solved. Russia is there protecting Assad and its Russian Naval Base. The US is not going to unseat Russia or Assad from Syria. Thus the sanctions are illogical if not baffling. Why make the Syrian people suffer? Why threaten Russia? Why continue to engage in this waste of time and money when we (US) knows its not going to push either Assad or Russia out of Syria. It will only radicalize and perpetuate the stereotype in the middle east as the US being evil and a lacky for Israel. Nothing good will come from either.

"Why make the Syrian people suffer? Why threaten Russia?" Because spite at not getting our way. Because Israel. Because Saudi Arabia.

Not just leaning towards the West, but implementing austerity measures demanded by the West's bankers.

The USG' s definition of Dictator.

DICTATOR, Noun: Someone who does not let American CEOs dictate how their country is run

If it were only the sanctions But as we know, these United States of America is also occupying large swathes of Syrian territory, blocking the use of those resources by its government for the benefit of the population. And not only that, it has started a bombing campaign on the wheat crops, with thermobaric bombs, in order to deprive the population of food (while protecting the opium/heroin producing poppy fields in Afghanistan). Viable Opposition has a summary of all the nefarious actions lately conducted by these United States of America:
http://viableopposition.blo...

Beside the "geostrategic" interests, and support for Israel, there is an ideological dimension to all this. Syria, as Iraq, as Iran were and are ruled by governments that are nationalistic and semi-socialist in their approach to economy, more re-distributive as well as owning some of the assets, as state enterprises. This cancer of "socialism" needs to be weeded out in the lights of these United States of America. Private Property is a God given right and trumps the wishes of the collective.

It is clear that at limit, capitalism/private property is at odds with the idea of democracy and we can see very clearly in these United States of America how democracy was thoroughly defeated, being replaced by a corrupt demagocic oligarchy, that is the attack dog of the global oligarchs as well as select tyrants and dictators, which protect the interests of the oligarchs at the expense of everyone else.

Property rights are great, but there's a reason that they weren't enumerated with the other Creator endowed natural rights in the Declaration of Independence.

Christ almighty, I hate my country.

Or at any rate the SOBs who come up with, and who support, this kind of devilry. Lately I feel like we have a choice of being governed by, on the one hand, the criminally insane, or, on the other, the criminally insane. So yes, we have a bit of a problem here.

Were to God that things were otherwise, but if the United States were to sink into the sea today, very few people not on our payroll would shed a single tear for us. In fact, most of the rest of the world, including many of our supposed friends, would rejoice.

This is already blowing up in American and Israeli faces. Nesrallah the head of Hezbollah made a speech a coupke of days ago in which he said China is ready to step up and provide cash for various projects in Lebanon one of which would be for new tunnels from Lebanon to Syria to help improve trade between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The 4 have agreed yto set up a trade zone that will do deals with out filthy USD being involved. Iran got stronger under sanctions, Russia got stronger under sanctions. Guess who is next. If you want to MAGA sanction the US.

The US lies about everything and propagandises its own egregiously stupid population, so that they believe in false sound-bites and hate whoever they're programmed to hate.

US is the biggest thief on the planet stealing resources, goods and services when it " pays " for imports by issuing worthless, fiat currency US Dollar without giving up any goods and services in exchange. US has been stealing since Nixon withdrew tying the USD to Gold.

US abuses the US Dollar as world's reserve currency by enforcing financial sanctions on countries like Russia, Iran , Venezuela, N Korea, Syria, etc...depriving millions of innocent civilians of access to medicines and daily necessities.

In addition the US fakes lies to justify endless wars on Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, and numerous countries in Africa and engage in regime change in foreign countries in order to steal. their resources.

US wants to control the energy security of Germany and imposing sanctions on Germany, Austrian, and Russian companies that build gas pipe lines from Russia.

US unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA and sanctions other countries for trading with Iran.

US pulled out of the UN Human Rights Council, the Paris Climate Accord, the TTP and blocks the ICC from investigating its numerous war crimes.

US broke its promise not to expand NATO to Russia's borders.

US brags that it is a champion of free trade but uses state power to crush a private company called Huawei.

US declares that car imports and imports of car parts are a threat to national security and threatened German cars with tariffs.

US declares that Chinese made drones and buses are threats to national security.

Majority of Syrians always supported Assad....and still do!

https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Even John Kerry tacitly admitted as much, by conditioning America ending its war on Syria upon Assad not running for re-election.

If Assad were as half unpopular as Kerry claimed, then there would be no need to fear him running in an internationally supervised and monitored election.