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Written by Larry Chin; Originally appeared at GlobalResearch

In appearance, Trump’s April 6, 2017 missile attack on Syria is the first step towards a regime change, a massive regional conquest, and World War 3. In appearance, the event marked a point of no return for Trump’s presidency.

We have entered uncharted territory, with the future of humanity at stake.

Murder in the name of propaganda

What is clear is that the chemical attack was a false flag operation, staged for war propaganda purposes, with intelligence operatives, the Deep State, the political elite, and the corporate media working in unison.

Syrian jets hit a rebel position. Chemicals used by the rebels (US-backed terrorists, CIA) were stockpiled at the target. The target was hit.

Out of this came the fabricated narrative that President Assad released a chemical weapons attack on civilians, despite the Syrian government having no sane political reason to do so. The Assad regime had recently been given assurances by the Trump administration and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggesting that a regime change was not in the Trump administration’s plans, and that “the Syrian people would decide” Assad’s fate. There was also no sane reason for Russia to have participated in or condoned a chemical weapons attack on civilians.

Syrian-Russian anti-terror operations were succeeding, and Putin was looking forward to cooperation with the new Trump administration.

The White Helmets (left), who play a starring role in the subsequently staged “humanitarian crisis” spectacle, are US/UK-backed terrorist/intelligence assets and propaganda agents.

All signs point to a setup using tired old tricks. A repeat of previous similar staged “humanitarian crisis” pretexts, from the “incubator babies” to “Aleppo Boy”. Elements of the current #SyriaHoax includes clumsy staging of the “chemical attack”, starring a doctor who is a known US-backed terrorist, dead and injured people laughing (because they don’t think the cameras are running), actors playing “dead children” opening their eyes. The Twitter page of a fabricated 7-year old Syrian girl Alabed Bana is ridiculous propaganda that is promoted by major Fake News media, including Jake Tapper of CIA-connected CNN.

As written by Michel Chossudovsky:

While there is no evidence that president Al-Assad ordered the chemical weapons attack, there is ample evidence –including a comprehensive UN report– that the opposition “rebels” (supported by US-NATO) have since 2012 stockpiled and used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians as well as SAA soldiers. There is also evidence that Washington and its allies had previously planned and supported “False Flag” chemical weapons attacks perpetrated by the “rebels” (including the 2012 East Ghouta attacks) with a view to incriminating the Damascus government.

As Ron Paul and many others warned, the propaganda must be questioned. According to the sources of former CIA operative Ray McGovern and numerous other current and former intelligence officers, the White House was extensively briefed, and CIA director Mike Pompeo “played it straight”. Trump “knew”, or should have known, “was persuaded”, and ordered the missile strike anyway.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and Defense Secretary Mattis (image right) pushed for the strike. White House advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump reportedly also pushed for the strike. White House advisor Steve Bannon advised against the strike, and was rebuked.

Who ordered this operation to frame Assad?

Was it the Deep State and corrupt players, and the unhinged warmonger and Al-Qaeda/ISIS favorite John McCain, who visited Syria in February?

Was it to force the Trump administration to act?

Was it the Trump administration itself, setting up a multi-pronged deception?

Was it conducted by other forces or governments (Israel, etc.)?

What did Russia know, if anything? Who benefits?

The strike

Trump fired 59 Tomahawk missiles on Shayrat air base. Trump continued entertaining Chinese president Xi Jinping in Palm Beach while the operation unfolded. Nine civilians were killed in the attack and several more were wounded.

Donald Trump committed a mass murder, and is now officially a war criminal. What is also a fact is that the strike and the resulting narrative politically benefits terrorism— ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the CIA— in opposition to Syria, Russia and their allies, who are fighting terrorism. It was also a glorious moment for the Deep State and the New World Order.

Both Russia and Syria were warned in advance. No Russians lost their lives. Only 23 missiles hit their mark (why and where did the others go?) The damage was “relatively minor”. The runway was left intact. Syrian military planes were able to conduct sorties from the same runway against rebel targets the following morning.

In his statement following the attack, Trump spoke of the “slow and brutal death of beautiful babies, cruelly murdered in a barbaric act”, and declared that there was no question of Assad’s guilt. He left no room even for investigations or questions. Tillerson, former head of Exxon-Mobil (and major player in past wars in which Exxon-Mobil benefited greatly) stated that there will be “no role for (Assad) to govern the Syrian people”, and “there was no doubt Assad was behind the chemical attack”. Defense Secretary Mattis also declared “no doubt” that Assad did it.Trump also stated that his attitude towards Assad “has changed very much” due to the alleged chemical attack. And to further exacerbate tensions, the Pentagon was ordered to begin an investigation into Russia’s role behind the chemical attack.

Was Trump’s attack “real”—or a one-time fake retaliation, in response to a fake chemical attack? Was Trump acting on his own, or was he deceived or forced to order the retaliatory strike? Was Trump naïve and ignorant enough to be manipulated by the Deep State propaganda, and act recklessly out of emotion?

Or was he playing a game?

Trump’s crazed 180 degree turn

The world remains confused about the attack and its meaning. Even more baffling is Trump’s apparent total reversal of principle.

According to former State Department counterterrorism coordinator Daniel Benjamin, Trump has

“completely flipped from one day to the next on the issue of significant national security that he’s been talking about for years…I have very little confidence that he is thinking one, two or three moves ahead, which is what a president has to do.”

Why did Trump take what appears to be a sudden and unwarranted step towards regime change in Syria, globalism, and World War 3 confrontation with Russia. Why, after having won the presidency for advocating the opposite?

Why this, from the anti-globalist/anti-regime change/anti-corruption choice was (unlike the deeply corrupt neocon-backed war-loving Hillary Clinton and her network) believed to be the president who would not start World War 3?

Why this, from someone who knows he won the election because the vast majority of American voters who responded to the message that “Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo”?

Why this, from a man who lambasted the Obama administration for meddling in Syria, and said attacking Syria was a bad idea at least 45 times? Why this, following months of insistence—over the violent opposition of the Deep State, Obama/Clinton Democrats, the Fake News corporate Media and endless “Russiagate” noise— that cooperation with Russia was critical to Middle East stability and world peace? Trump and his administration are now leading the anti-Russia and anti-Putin propaganda effort, launching daily attacks at Putin via the corporate media.

Why this, mere days since Rex Tillerson stated that Assad’s future would be decided by the Syrians, and regime change was not planned?

The missile attack on Syria sparked immediate outrage from the largely anti-war Trump base, which denounced the strikes as a gigantic betrayal.

A typical example:

Veterans and alt-right turn against Trump

Most of the leading alternative media voices supporting Trump are, and remain, staunchly anti-war, including Mike Cernovich, Paul Joseph Watson, Stefan Molyneux, Jack Posobiec, Lee Stranahan, and many others. Some are ready to “get off the Trump train”. Even Trump’s blindest followers are going into contortions coming up with rationalizations.

Richard Spencer condemned Trump for his betrayal, and organized an anti-war rally in front of the White House. (This rally was violently attacked by pro-war Soros-funded Antifa thugs.)

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the Trump presidency, despite being embattled, was winning on many fronts. Much had been, up until April 6, moving in his favor.

The Deep State’s all-out war on Trump was being met with effective pushback from those in the Trump camp. Simultaneously, the Deep State is being fought independently by whistleblowers, including WikiLeaks.

“Russiagate” is backfiring. Attention has been turned toObama/Democrats illegally spying on Trump and private citizens, leaks, and numerous corruption scandals possibly implicating current and former Democrats and Republicans.

Investigations into Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, the Obama administration, and the Democratic National Committee remain open and ongoing, with the FBI and the Justice Department sitting on thousands of pieces of incriminating evidence.

Large numbers of human trafficking and pedophilia arrests are taking place nationwide, under the direction of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, towards the exposure of the larger pedophilia network and political blackmail apparatus that controls much of Washington (Pedogate/Pizzagate).

The destructive activities of Antifa and anarchist groups funded and controlled by neoliberals and Democrats aligned with Clinton and Obama have failed to turn public opinion against Trump.

The intelligence-controlledestablishment corporate media aligned against Trump is losing on all fronts to independent and social media sources, and is now derided as Fake News.

Trump’s presidency is a guiding example inspiring anti-globalist nationalist movements around the world, supported by Nigel Farageand the forces behind Brexit, and nationalists such as Marine Le Pen in France. These movements are gaining momentum.

Many elements of his Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda are being put into place, despite obstruction and violent opposition by adversaries.

Most importantly, Trump had been fully supported by his base, through every difficulty.

Does it make any sense for Trump to squander these gains and alienate his vital support base? Why did he suddenly do the one thing that would lead to his demise: an act of war that only a globalist neocon of the highest order would pull off; the one thing that can unite both Left and Right against him?

Why does it seem that Trump is abandoning MAGA altogether?

Why would he toss away an alliance with Russia that would have ensured, if not at least contributed greatly, to a true world peace?

We are left with speculation.

Scenario 1: Trump has lost to Deep State

In this interpretation, Trump has given up the fight against globalism. He has “been flipped”. He has sold out. He has surrendered to intimidation from the Deep State.

The Syrian false flag was set up by the Deep State, and Trump was ordered to finish the war of conquest begun with 9/11, or face consequences. He was threatened into doing exactly what Hillary Clinton wants done. Forced to abandon principles. Forced to commit political suicide. Forced to abandon his base, and accept being a politically isolated, impeachable lame duck president. The Trump presidency is left to collapse from both external attack and internal undermining. The Deep State triumphs, and the Bush/Clinton criminal network gets the last laugh.

A variation on the theory: Trump has cut a deal to end the civil war that has grown too damaging, threatening the existence to the system itself. Both the Deep State and Trump prefer to end the fight.

In exchange for the allowing the war to take place, Trump will be lavished with the rewards of all of the corrupt White House puppets who preceded him, as long as he follows orders. If he does a good job, he will be the next ceremonial “war president”. He will get some of his domestic agenda passed, be permitted to live, be treated “normally” by the media, and ride off into the sunset. But MAGA, and the “swamp draining” of Flynn, Bannon, etc. is over.

What appears to be the White House’s sudden“shift to the center” smacks of this capitulation.

Scenario 2: McMaster, and Deep State White House coup d’état

Is Trump in danger, is he in control, or is he an isolated dupe?

In explosive new stories broken by Mike Cernovich, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, acolyte of disgraced former CIA Director David Petraeus, has taken over the National Security Council, and is manipulating intelligence reports to Trump and wants 150,000 ground troops in Syria. McMaster is plotting with Petraeus to is purging all who oppose a ground war in Syria.

In this consolidation of power, Trump loyalist K.T. McFarland has been removed. Sebastian Gorka may be next to be removed by McMaster.

McMaster is also close with scandalized former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice, and it is reported that Rice herself pushed McMaster to remove Steve Bannon from the NSC. Bannon, who is against regime change, is gone.

Petraeus himself was considered by Trump for the NSC post, following the ouster of Michael Flynn by the Deep State, before McMaster got the job.

In the words of Cernovich, it is now “Trump supporters out, pro-war Petraeus puppets in”.

These disturbing new developments, and the McMaster takeover of foreign policy, come in the wake of months of White House infiltration and sabotage.

Despite continuous warnings of Trump loyalists for the past months, Trump chose to surround himself with enemies and those who seek to undermine his original agenda: Republican/Bush neocons, Obama/Clinton infiltrators (“West Wing Democrats”), Deep State operatives, globalists, Goldman Sachs denizens. He has filled the “swamp” more than he has “drained” it.

In the internal civil war between Trump loyalists and the globalists, the Trump loyalists appear to be losing, leaving Trump isolated and surrounded by seasoned criminals, saboteurs, and spies. National security adviser Flynn, the most powerful operational member of what was the inner circle, was effectively forced to resign, perhaps not coincidentally after spearheading operations against the Deep State. The influence of advisor Steve Bannon, leading force behind the anti-globalist/anti-establishment agenda, has been greatly diminished, and there were rumors that he has considered leaving the White House.

Meanwhile, the influence and power of the CIA/Clinton/Obama/Soros/Goldman Sachs/Israel-connected “West Wing Democrats”–Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Gary Cohn, and Dina Powell is on the rise. Poisonous Bush neocons such as Vice President Mike Pence and Reince Priebus, and the neocon generals, remain securely in place. Trump has shown no signs thathe will fire family members, despite Kushner’s questionable background, and regardless of his leaks of anti-Bannon stories to MSNBC. Hecontinues to praise Priebus, despite evidence of sabotage, and despite thefact that the recently fired Priebus aide Katie Walsh was caught leaking anti-Trump stories to the enemy Fake News media.

Now comes word that the Trump presidency is “reset” towards a “centrist” globalist platform and the end of MAGA; the end of the “deconstruction” and reform efforts represented by Bannon.

According to former CIA operative Robert David Steele, this is Trump’s “Bay of Pigs” moment, in which Trump either reverses course and opposes the Deep State forces pressuring and manipulating him, or he gives in to them—thus rendering himself an immediate lame duck president. This is the moment in which Trump must take on his enemies, at risk to his life. Or not.

Scenario 3: Trump playing high-stakes “4-D chess” games

Here is the “optimistic” scenario.

Was the missile strike itself a limited one-time staged propaganda deception—a fake response to a fake chemical attack— done with the back channel cooperation of the Russians and Syrians, who were warned in advance? The fact that no Russians were killed, “relatively minor” collateral damage was done, and the runway was left intact all suggest this possibility.

It was a noisy show of military strength and resolve—professional wrestling-style theater—to pave the way for Rex Tillerson’s April 11, 2017 diplomatic trip to Russia, which will focus on the Syrian crisis. It was also a symbolic “shock and awe” gesture , to impress and intimidate visiting Chinese president Xi Jinping, a message to North Korea, and future US-China relations, including tensions in the South China Sea and US-Chinese trade.

The provocative noise is a planetary game of “chicken”—“peace through strength”, “don’t mess with us”—will improve US advantage in negotiations, and ultimately result in future victory. There will be tensions, but no world war. According to Mattis, “tensions with Russia will not spiral out of control”.

This version of events is embraced by Steve Pieczenik, as well as Alex Jones and Roger Stone. Stone does not believe that the limited strike signals the beginning of a wider war. But both Jones and Stone agree that if Trump does widen the war, “he is done”, and Trump “becomes George W. Bush”, and “part of the Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama continuum”.

Here is Mike Cernovich’s astute analysis:

Trump, Syria and the 4-D Chess hypothesis

Numerous other possible “4-D chess” scenarios are put forth by Scott Adams. This is the mythical Trump, keeping allies and foes alike off balance, many steps ahead.

It was also a “wag the dog” distraction, designed to erase Russiagate from news headlines (he has now “proven” that he is not “buddy buddy with Putin”), quell the media, temporarily quell the political opposition, and rally heretofore skeptical world leaders.

Trump also benefits from a “Bush Iraq-9/11 moment”, and becomes a “war president”, avenging an atrocity committed by an evildoer. Even if he loses the support of much of his base, perhaps Trump believes that it can be replaced by new support from those who might warm to him “in a time of war”, against current boogeyman Assad.

Jack Posobiec speculates that Trump and Putin might have cut some sort of back channel deal.

Wikileaks’ Julian Assange wonders that if the end game is that Russia pulls out of Syria, the quagmire will be left for the other nations.

Would Russia to go along with the removal of Assad, along with a carving up of Syria that includes Russia?

But these questions cast doubt:

Why would Russia give up its military bases without a war, give up its extensive, entrenched and vital oil-related interests in the region, and give the Anglo-American empire absolute primacy in the region?

Scenario 4: Trump as neocon Trojan Horse

Is Trump, in fact, a neocon globalist, in the long line of neocon globalists (Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama/Clinton), who is now casting aside his populism, because it is no longer useful? Is Trump controlled by higher elites?

Has Trump been lying to the Russians and Putin for months about cooperation, while preparing major military moves against them? Has Trump used the Russians to get rid of ISIS elements, while plotting to get rid of the Russians once they stop being useful?

Is Trump, in fact, out to prove that he can outmuscle the “weak” Obama/Clinton globalist agenda, and do them one better, by 1) actually conquering Syria, 2) beat Russia and China, and drive them out of the Middle East, 3) take the Grand Chessboard, and also 4) scare China in compliance? Is this the “peace through strength” total war that Trump and his generals envision?

Trump is also a fervent militarist, who “loves generals” and loves the idea of wielding American military muscle and supremacy. This is evidenced by his incessant fawning overtures to Pentagon and CIA, and surrounding himself with generals and warriors. He is genuinely a fan of the intelligence community and law enforcement. As it probably pains him that any factions within these institutions oppose him, he is eager to win them over.

Trump has never stopped accusing the Obama/Clinton regime of “weakness”. The Trump foreign policy will therefore display“strength”.

Trump must certainly know that war is insanely lucrative, and an economic multiplier that could boost a stagnant US economy. He is pushing a huge increase in military spending.

War makes it all happen.

Who benefits from regime change in Syria? Who benefits from confrontation with Russia and world war 3? None other than the Deep State, the CIA and the New World Order.

There is also the oil. And the pipelines and transit routes.

How could Trump and oil man Tillerson ignore the Grand Chessboard and its spoils?

Has World War 3 already begun?

Judging by the latest provocations, the Trump administration is foaming at the mouth for war:

White House accuses Russia of cover-up in Syria chemical attack

AP: Senior US official says US has concluded that Russia knew in advance of chemical attack

US forces on Jordanian border, standing by with Jordanian special forces

McMaster calls for Syria regime change

US weighs saturation strike on Syrian government

Trump discussed with king of Jordan Sunni/Kurd coalition to stabilize Syria

Russia warns Trump they will respond with force if Syria red lines crossed again

Boris Johnson spearheads diplomatic drive to get Russian forces out of Syria

UN ambassador Nikki Haley: getting Assad out not only priority in Syria

Tillerson: no role for Assad in Syria

In statements given during April 9 press interviews, Tillerson repeated that defeating the Islamic State remains the top focus, and the strike has “not changed US priorities towards ousting Assad”. Haley repeated declared that regime change in Syria is a priority and “inevitable”. McMaster promised that fighting ISIS and ousting Assad are “simultaneous”, and did not rule out additional strikes.

On every front, severe damage is quickly being done to US-Russian relations, too much to be forgiven or easily reversed. There are few voices of reason, and none from within the Trump administration.

Secretary of State Tillerson makes the Trump administration’s first official trip to Russia on April 11. (If a state of war exists between the US and Russia, would Tillerson be making this trip at all?)

The result of this negotiation could decide the fate of humanity.

But is it smoke and mirrors? Is it all a moot point now?

US military forces are ready. According to Jack Posobiec’s well-placed sources in the military, there will be boots on the ground June 1 or earlier.

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