On SYRIZA, NATO and the Middle East (Part I)

The people should be concerned with participation in interventions in the Middle East:

Government plans of "geopolitical upgrading"

The Coalition Government is exploiting the excuse of confronting Jihadists

Rizospastis, 1 March 2015

Translated by Lenin Reloaded

"Let us utilize the geopolitical dynamics of the country for the negotiating power of the government", said Alexis Tsipras at the SYRIZA Political Bureau meeting, foregrounding one of the goals of his government. This is a line he has been developing since early February, when, upon visiting Nicosia, Cyprus, he characterized Greece and Cyprus as "two important pillars of stability in the turbulent Southeast Mediterranean." He proposed, on the other hand, that Greece and Cyprus play the card of their geostrategic position in negotiations with their creditors: "The EU and the Eurozone are both amputated without Greece and Cyprus to their southeast ends, the borders that today, more than ever, must be stable and secure. Greece and Cyprus are pillars of stability and security in a geopolitically turbulent environment in the broader region. Those who do not understand this and are only making economic calculations will soon be proven wrong, because economists are fine, but if we rely only on them, we are in danger of leading Europe to a major disaster."

Of course, in practice this means that, since you proffer to the imperialist bazaar your own utility as a country, as a vital hub between three continents, a means of safeguarding passageways, commercial transport, energy, infrastructural support, means and personnel of military campaigns and missions for the forwarding of imperialist plans and positions, time will come that you will be asked to put it into practice. And since Tsipras is "selling" Greece as a pillar of stability and security, the people should be wary of the new imperialist plans he will be called on to put to practice.

As for the excuse, everything suggests that it has already been found: The Jihadists...the Islamic State, ISIS, which in a previous stage the imperialists themselves bolstered, and which, in the current conjuncture, they are exploiting for its repulsive actions in order to bolster their positions and augment their penetration, through new war campaigns in the broader region of the Eastern Mediterranean in their conflicts with other imperialist centers.

"Active support-decisive confrontation"

Not accidentally, Alexis Tsipras made sure to communicate with the President of Egypt, Abdel Fatah al Sissi on Tuesday, in order to offer his condolences for the execution of Egyptian citizens by "Jihadi forces". According to the Presidential Press office, "in this context, we emphasized the importance of restoring peace and stability in Libya within the framework of international law, through the active support of the democratically elected government of the country, as well as the need for a complete and decisive confrontation of the phenomenon [of Jihadism] in the broader region, through the protection of Christian populations and other communities. At the same time, we underlined the importance of reinforcing the multi-leveled collaboration between Egypt and Greece, which is based on powerful historical bonds."

Alexis Tsipras also had a phone conversation with the Prime Minister of Denmark, to whom he offered condolences for the victims of "terrorist acts that have taken place recently in Copenhagen", arguing that "such acts, aimed at attacking freedom of expression in Europe and at targeting religious communities, like that of the Jews, constitute a threat to every democratic citizen and must be dealt with totally, effectively and on the basis of our democratic values."

We also remind our readers that even in the pre-election period, SYRIZA, in its efforts to broaden its support abroad, gave all kinds of assurances that it will be on the side of the basic NATO line on this issue, along with the European Left Party, and additionally foregrounded the issue of the Kurd-inhabited city of Kobane in Syria. In fact, SYRIZA undertook a mission, sending the then coordinator of the party's Foreign Policy Nadia Valavani [Left Platform]. It's clear, of course, that notwithstanding the tragedy the locals are suffering in the hands of Islamists, there are broader geostrategic games involved, related to Syria's very existence. The excuse of crimes committed by the Islamic State is being used by the US and by Germany, who are arming Kurdish Peshmerga in Northern Iraq, as well as being in the interests of broader plans for redrawing national borders in the region.