Washington and Israel Want the Middle East Map Redrawn

by Stephen Lendman

Century ago Sykes-Picot was the last attempt to redraw the region, implementation following WW I. Israel's 1948 creation was the major post-WW II change.

Britain, France and Russia were involved during WW I, defining their spheres of influence, deciding on how to carve up the fading Ottoman empire after its collapse.

After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Russian claims were denied. Western hostility persists. A new cold war replaced the old one. 

Regime change remains longstanding US policy, war the strategy of choice to achieve its global imperial objectives.

Syria is in the eye of the storm. Five years of war devastated the country, half its population remains displaced internally or abroad.

So-called peace talks scheduled to begin Monday offer virtually no chance for conflict resolution. It rages during agreed on cessation of hostilities, multiple violations occurring daily.

Pro-Western UN Special Envoy for Syria Steffan de Mistura said federalizing Syria will be discussed during upcoming talks - a thinly veiled imperial scheme to grant local regional autonomy as a step toward partitioning the country into mini-states.

Damascus opposes weakening central authority, jeopardizing Syrian sovereignty. On Saturday, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said:

"I tell you as a Syrian citizen. We are against the idea of federalization. We stand for the unity of Syria's territory and its public."

On Friday, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "preserving the territorial integrity of Syria…is critically important for the entire region."

In February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryakov said Moscow would support federalization only if Syrians decide they want it.

US/Saudi supported opposition groups want puppet governance replacing sovereign Syrian independence.

How long next week's talks continue before collapsing like earlier failed efforts remains to be seen.

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: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.