The December 2024 coup in Damascus, led by jihadist factions supported by the U.S., NATO, and Israel, marks a tragic culmination of over a decade of war aimed at dismantling Syria. President Bashar al-Assad’s departure from the country underscores the calculated objective of these powers: the destruction of Syria’s sovereignty and the imposition of a puppet Islamic state under Western control.
Thirteen years ago, in March 2011, the seeds of this conflict were sown in Daraa, a small Syrian border town. Presented by the Western media as the start of a pro-democracy uprising, the events in Daraa were far from spontaneous. What appeared to be protests were, in fact, orchestrated acts of insurgency, involving armed jihadist groups covertly supported by Western and Israeli intelligence. From the outset, the so-called opposition was dominated by Al-Qaeda-affiliated entities trained, armed, and funded by NATO, Turkey, and Gulf monarchies like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Evidence from Israeli intelligence reports at the time confirmed the systematic arming of rebels with anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons supplied through NATO and Turkey. Thousands of jihadist fighters were recruited and trained to infiltrate Syria, mirroring the strategy used to mobilize the Mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan war. These fighters were integrated into terrorist organizations like Al-Nusra Front and later ISIS, transforming Syria into a battleground for proxy wars.
The Daraa “protest movement” was a staged operation. Snipers on rooftops targeted both protesters and police, creating chaos designed to delegitimize Assad’s government. Western media narratives ignored the deaths of Syrian police officers, instead framing the violence as Assad’s indiscriminate crackdown on unarmed civilians. Reports from Israeli and Lebanese outlets, however, revealed a different story: this was not a peaceful demonstration but a calculated insurgency involving armed radicals.
Syria’s descent into chaos was no accident. The West’s playbook, as seen in Libya, Iraq, and elsewhere, relies on destabilization, sectarian violence, and the co-opting of Islamist groups to achieve regime change. By labeling these insurgencies as pro-democracy movements, the U.S. and its allies mask their true intent: dismantling independent states that resist Western hegemony.
The Syrian war highlights the hypocrisy of the so-called “rules-based international order.” While Western powers claim to uphold democracy and human rights, their actions betray these principles. The U.S.’s illegal occupation of Syria, under the guise of fighting ISIS, aims to control the country’s oil-rich northeast and curb Iranian influence. Meanwhile, Russia, which was invited by the Syrian government in 2015, operates legally under international law but faces relentless Western condemnation.
Syria’s experience also reflects the broader agenda of economic warfare. Since 2006, IMF-imposed reforms eroded Syria’s social fabric, worsening unemployment and poverty. These conditions were exploited to fuel unrest, further destabilizing the country. The ultimate goal has been clear: regime change through any means necessary, whether economic strangulation, propaganda, or direct military intervention.
As the coup in Damascus unfolds, the Western media’s applause for jihadist factions lays bare the moral bankruptcy of these policies. Syria’s destruction is not just a geopolitical tragedy but a betrayal of the principles of sovereignty and self-determination. Until these imperialist strategies are challenged, the so-called humanitarian interventions will continue to leave a trail of devastation across the globe.
The Syrian people deserve more than the narratives crafted by the architects of their suffering. They deserve recognition of their resilience and the truth about the forces that have conspired to dismantle their nation.
By Duruebube Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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