Video footage now shows us another horror perpetrated by U.S. imperialism and its local allies.

Civilian deaths, as well as those of military personnel, are now mounting as the blitzkrieg unleashed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of the right-wing “Justice and Development” Party (AKP) penetrates deeper into northern Syria, with the stated intention of destroying Kurdish forces there and then settling Syrian refugees, currently stranded in Turkey, in the area.

It appears certain that Turkey began this onslaught almost immediately after a phone call between Erdogan and Donald Trump, which was taken by Erdogan, and probably intended by Trump, to give permission for the shooting to start as soon as U.S. troops moved out of range of the bombs and bullets. The Kurdish forces were supposed to be U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS, but Trump has now shown the world what the word “allies” means to him. Let all present and potential “allies” take notice!

The Turkish incursion promises a humanitarian disaster and crudely violates Syria’s national sovereignty. The present Turkish government claims it is necessary to suppress Kurdish separatists in Syria, but has passed up any real opportunity for a peaceful settlement of its conflict with the Kurds in Turkey itself, so the Turkish pretext for this violent act does not hold water.

And both Turkey and the United States are members of NATO. This development shows again what a negative influence NATO has on world peace and regional stability.

The Communist Party USA expresses its solidarity with the people of Syria, with the working people of Turkey and with the Kurdish speaking population of both countries, and denounces the resort to arms by the Turkish government, abetted by the United States.

We also denounce Turkish and U.S. interference in Syria and its neighbors, which has not only strengthened rather than weakened ISIS, but for many years enabled their cross-border passage, and trained, weaponized and funded them – this in spite of the fact that both the United States and Turkey justify their actions on the basis of the fight against ISIS.

The Communist Party USA points out that U.S. policy, especially under President Trump, has deliberately weakened the ability of the United Nations to deal with conflict situations like this one. Indeed, the U.S. has substituted its own military might and that of NATO for the rule of international law and the UN Charter. The people of the United States must denounce this dangerous tendency on the part of our own government.

The Communist Party USA notes that these events prove, if proof were needed, that it is high time NATO itself be dismantled, as an entity that threatens world peace. Rather than this kind of intervention, the entire Middle East situation needs to be settled peacefully, with the full involvement of the UN.

The Communist Party USA calls upon all our members and friends to participate in our national elections in 2020 with the goal of removing Donald Trump and his reactionary allies from their positions of power that so endanger world peace.

Image: Creative Commons 3.0

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