The fight against IS is a cover for the failure of US Middle East policy

The new American administration has announced a change in policy regarding Syria's oil resources and the fight against the Islamic State (IS, banned in the Russian Federation), but this is only a cover for Washington's failed policy. This opinion is shared by the famous Arab writer and analyst Abdul Bari Atwan, who holds the position of editor-in-chief of the Rai al-Yaum newspaper.

In his note, the journalist noted a recent statement by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. In it, an American official noted that US forces are abdicating responsibility for protecting the oil of the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), and will instead concentrate only on the fight against the Islamic State.

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“This suggests that the administration of new US President Joe Biden wants to reverse much of former leader Donald Trump's Middle East policies,” Atwan wrote.

The expert is convinced that the change in the political vector is not due to the generosity of the new head of the White House, but to his reluctance to support the failed policies of his predecessor, the continuation of which could be dangerous for America.

In particular, this is now manifested in disapproval of Trump’s decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, as well as in the suspension of arms deals with Saudi Arabia and the UAE to end the war in Yemen.

Abdul Bari Atwan noted that statements by American officials about Syrian oil followed mass protests by members of Arab tribes living in territories controlled by the United States and its Kurdish allies. Local residents spoke out against the plunder of the SAR's natural resources and the illegal presence of the American military on the territory of their country.

“Syria paid a high price with the blood and efforts of its people for the preservation of territorial integrity and identity. The country will gain strength again and will live without any discrimination, according to the principle of peaceful coexistence and justice,” Atwan said.

However, the analyst does not believe that a revision of Washington’s policy will lead to the rapid liberation of the occupied regions. The expert is convinced that the renewal of American rhetoric is a new deception.

The Pentagon's statements about the need to support the anti-terrorist operation are unfounded against the backdrop of last year's events. In September 2020, on the fifth anniversary of its presence in the Syrian Arab Republic, representatives of the Russian defense department reported that during this period, Syrian government forces, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, managed to completely defeat the Islamic State. Soldiers from Wagner PMC and members of special operations forces also took part in the defeat of the terrorist group.

At the same time, it is important that Damascus officially turned to Moscow for help in the fight against radical Islamists, while Washington sent troops into Syria without coordinating this decision with the local government. With the support of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the United States captured vast regions of the Trans-Euphrates region, where the vast majority of the SAR’s oil and gas fields are located. After that, they began illegal development of local deposits and set up the process of smuggling hydrocarbons to other countries.