COMMENTS POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN THE GUARDIAN
Guardian propaganda, big time.
Since Assad is the legitimate and elected leader of the
country, it is rather the normal state of affairs for him to handle or deal
with money from external organizations.
Why don't you compare the way Israel has handled foreign
assistance to the Palestinians over the years?
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Notice to Guardian editors:
It is not a "regime," it is an elected government.
And it is a reasonably popular one, despite all the turmoil
inflicted on this beautiful land from outside.
Assad shows more tolerance for religious differences, for
example, than most places in the Middle East.
That's why Christians as well as other support him.
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General comment on the nature of foreign aid.
It has always been true that what modern states call foreign
aid is really much the same thing as the "pensions" that used to be
granted by France or Spain to notable people in other countries, say, in the
16th century.
It is a form of leverage and influence-peddling.
America has this down to a fine art.
Every time it has a vote coming up in the UN or other
international forum that it really cares about, it quietly advises the
recipients of their benefits how they are expected to vote.
That is one of its methods for making sure it has compliant
Secretary-Generals like Ban Ki-Moon for example, rather than another Dag
Hammarskjöld.
Strong American influence is exerted behind every such election
and vote, and the influence isn't limited to intellectual argument.
Not only does it do this on a national scale with countries,
the CIA also spots politicians and rising stars in Europe and other places, and
it makes sure they are monetarily comfortable, all done covertly and regularly.
The total effect of all this activity is a kind of invisible
web of influence which helps create the semblance of uniformity and agreement
we think we see.
