Henry Kissinger: Balkanized and Broken-Up Syria “Best Possible Outcome”

[Jihad_]

Henry Kissinger: Balkanized and Broken-Up Syria “Best Possible Outcome” | Global Research

@19.30

"There are three possible outcomes. An Assad victory. A Sunni victory. Or an outcome in which the various nationalities agree to co-exist together but in more or less autonomous regions, so that they can’t oppress each other. That’s the outcome I would prefer to see. But that’s not the popular view."

After being introduced by the chair as "the honorable Dr. Kissinger," the 90-year old power-broker began an interesting history lesson. Kissinger detailed how the current state of Syria was designed by European powers, as is the case with the neighboring state of Iraq:

"First of all, Syria is not a historic state. It was created in its present shape in 1920, and it was given that shape in order to facilitate the control of the country by France, which happened to be after UN mandate. The neighboring country Iraq was also given an odd shape, that was to facilitate control by England. And the shape of both of the countries was designed to make it hard for either of them to dominate the region."

As a result of Syria's a-historical origins, Kissinger explained, the current Syria was conceived as a more or less artificial national unity consisting of different tribes and ethnic groups. As the recent "revolution" is further spiralling into chaos, Kissinger comments on the nature of the current situation:

"In the American press it's described as a conflict between democracy and a dictator - and the dictator is killing his own people, and we've got to punish him. But that's not what’s going on. It may have been started by a few democrats. But on the whole it's an ethnic and sectarian conflict."

"It is now a civil war between sectarian groups", Kissinger went on to state. "And I have to say we have misunderstood it from the beginning. If you read our media they say: we've got to get rid of Assad. And if we get rid of Assad, then we form a coalition government. Inconceivable. I'm all in favour of getting rid of Assad, but the dispute between us and the Russians on that issue, was that the Russians say: you start with getting rid of not just Assad, that’s not the issue, but you break up the state administration and you'll wind up like in Iraq - that there is nothing to hold it together. And then you'll have an even worse civil war. This is how that mess has taken the present form."