“To the best of our professional understanding, the regime has made use of deadly chemical weapons against the rebels in a number of incidents in the past.” Brig.-Gen. Itai Brun, the head of research and analysis in Israeli military intelligence [1] April 23, 2013

“Our investigators have been in neighbouring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated…This was used on the part of the opposition, the rebels, not by the government authorities.” -Carla Del Ponte of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria.[2]  May 5, 2013

This week’s Global Research News Hour features interviews with Professor Michel Chossudovsky and Rick Rozoff.

The conflict between Syrian government forces and rebel insurgents has been ongoing for two years, claiming the lives of 70,000 people.[3] There is a sense in which a major military intervention by the US and other major powers is looming. Rhetoric about threat posed by Syria has heightened in recent weeks.

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Israeli intelligence announced last month that they had evidence of the Syrian government using chemical weapons. An independent UN investigation however could not substantiate these claims.

To the contrary, Commission member Carla Del Ponte announced that chemical weapons more likely were used by the rebel groups.

Adding to the tensions was the recent airstrikes by Israel against Syrian targets, claiming the lives of 300 soldiers according to some estimates.[4]

Legitimate concerns have been raised about human rights violations in Syria. However, history has proven that geo-strategy, control of resources, and military positioning are higher priorities for the major powers, official rhetoric the contrary notwithstanding.

In the first half of the show, Michel Chossudovsky of the Centre for Research on Globalization dissects the propaganda surrounding Syria. He identifies the players, including the supposed freedom-fighters on the rebel side, and he suggests non-military remedies to the humanitarian crisis.

Rick Rozoff, a long-time anti-war campaigner, puts the recent actions by Israel as well as the rhetoric form the Obama Administration into a historical and geo-political context. He identifies Syria’s strategic significance in the region, and he speculates on what regime change would mean for the region and the world.

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The Global Research News Hour, hosted by Michael Welch, airs on CKUW 95.9FM in Winnipeg Thursdays at 10am CDT. The programme is now broadcast weekly (Monday, 5-6pm ET) by the Progressive Radio Network in the US, and is available for download on the Global Research website.

References

1) Syria Accused of Chemical Weapons Use by Syria, CBC, April 23, 2013;

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/04/23/syria-chemical-weapons-israel-accuses.html

2) UN’s Carla Del Ponte says there is evidence rebels ‘may have used sarin’ in Syria, The Independent, May 6, 2013;

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/uns-carla-del-ponte-says-there-is-evidence-rebels-may-have-used-sarin-in-syria-8604920.html

3) Syria death toll likely near 70,000, says U.N. rights chief, Michelle Nichols, Reuters, February 12, 2013;

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/us-syria-crisis-un-idUSBRE91B19C20130212

4) Dan Williams and Khaled Yacoub Oweis, May 6, 2013, Reuters;

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/06/us-syria-crisis-israel-idUSBRE9450DQ20130506