‘Western media hype war on Syria'‎

Press TV has interviewed Allen Roland, an online columnist to further discuss the latest developments. What follows is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: The Western media has been quite instrumental in airing the line that the West is adopting over Syria. Time and time again footage has been aired of a random camera focusing on the exact spot where an explosion takes place.

Why do mainstream media fail to investigate it as opposed to obediently abide with what information it has been given?

Roland: This is all par for the course. It's the grand operation. It started in Serbia; the last one was Libya; and now it's Syria.

This is the Western-backed rebel movement that's going on. It's very obvious. What's really happening is the Israeli American juggernaut is not going to stop unless Syria is out of the way.

And so anything by the media obviously is going to be interpreted in the same language with the same priority.

And so you've got killing happening at close range; you've got all types of things happening over there, which is obviously being influenced by the West and NATO of course, which we all know is the military arm of the American military machine. So this is all par for the course.

Syria is in the way of the ultimate objective - the ultimate objective of course being Iran. So you should be very nervous right now and particularly in an election year in which Obama is not doing very well. The only hat that he has left to wear is the Commander in Chief hat.

So I would not be surprised at all if there was an attack before the election if it needs to happen. And that's a very unfortunate thing.

All this stuff is being carefully… it's like Kabooki theater i.e. carefully stage managed for the American public and for the foreign press to say that there is a justification for regime change. Remember that's the name of the game with the imperial West is regime change.

Press TV: What do comments by Israeli officials regarding this situation in Syria spell out for you? What does Perez's willingness to see armed groups take power say for what is taking place in the country?

Roland: First of all, I would not believe a word that comes out of Israel or the US for that matter. What's really happening is this: you see a carefully choreographed regime change going on. It should be very obvious to the world what is happening here except to those who don't want to see it. So, yes, this is the same thing that happened in Libya, it's the same thing happening in Syria.

The Israelis want Syria out of the way so Iran does not have a sympathetic neighbor right next to it, standing up to it. And so there, the ultimate objective is Iran and this is what's happening.

The US is as good as at war with Iran right now with all the embargoes and financial restrictions that have been put on it and its all for one reason and one reason only: so Obama can be seen as tough, and a war-president who's willing to what? Shoot people with drones etc so he can somehow come across as tough in an election year.

This is very bad and very embarrassing for Americans and for the West.

Press TV: Speaking of which, military intervention is an option that Britain and the US want to keep on the table.

Is this a mere threat to increase pressure on Assad and end up with a Yemen-like scenario in which we saw Ali Abdullah Saleh being removed from power and his deputy who was backed by the US and Saudi Arabia come to power in what appeared to be made-to-look-like democracy?

Or this threat of military intervention something that will be taken come what may?

Roland: Well, to answer your question I think we're heading to military intervention exactly as in Libya, a no-fly zone and then finally, for humanitarian reasons (laughs) NATO will strike, carefully choreographed with public relations.

Petro-states as you've mentioned before…. So, we have no other option except to militarily strike. General Martin Dempsey has already said… that we always have the military option - we're heading for that option, that's how I look at it.

Time is of the essence and particularly in an election year. Obama needs a so-called ongoing war, which is really occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, to somehow feather his military cap.

SC/GHN