Jakob Augstein Tells Readers to "Look Away" ("wegsehen") from Russian Atrocities in Syria

Just imagine what the scene would be in Germany if the United States incessantly bombed hospitals in a Syrian city and images of injured and dead children were broadcast on German TV.  Sahra Wagenknecht would hold forth with angry tirades against NATO in the Bundestag. Her husband Oskar Lafontaine would appear on the talk shows and lash out against "American Imperialism" (oh, wait, he does that anyway).  And Jakob Augstein, the "left-wing" Spiegel columnist would call for massive street demonstrations and for a boycott of Israel. But the images we are seeing now are the result of RUSSIAN bombs - not American.  So Jakob Augstein tells his readers to "look away" ("wegsehen") :

Intervenieren? Es ist kein Zufall, dass man diese Vokabel für die kriegerischen Einsätze des Westens nutzt, die in der großen Mehrzahl der Fälle die Dinge nicht besser, sondern schlechter gemacht haben. In Afghanistan, im Irak, in Libyen da wäre man froh gewesen, wenn der Westen nicht "interveniert" hätte. Und auch Syrien wäre heute besser dran, wenn weder der Westen noch Russland noch Iran noch Saudi-Arabien "interveniert" hätten.

Wenn man mir Bilder von toten Kinder zeigt, mache ich von meinem Recht auf Wegsehen Gebrauch.

("Intervention? It is no accident that this word is invoked for acts of war by the West, which in most cases have made things worse rather than better. In Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya we would have been much better off it the west had not "intervened. And also Syria would be much better off today if neither the West, nor Russi nor Iran nor Saudi Arabia had not "intervened").  If you show me images of dead children i exercise my right to look away.")

Funny how the same people who get outraged at anything the US does just shrug their shoulder when Russia commits atrocities.

Did Augstein - or for that matter, Wagenknecht or Lafontaine - make any statements when a detailed international report presented irrefutable evidence that Russia was involved in shooting down MH17, killing 298 passengers?  No, they exercised their "Right to Look Away.

See also: Augstein: Appeasement of Putin a "Necessity"

Comments

[Lol]

You are the least efficient propagandist ever...
Dude at least do your criminal lies with beauty...

Common man... Taxes are paying for your bullshit so at least give it some time...

All you stuffs are lame, empty, a government agent at his worse...

Oh btw according to your heroes... Al Nosra - Al Qaeda - is doing a good job in Syria...
But you blame Russia... Poor little hoe that you are...

[Zyme]

I was surprised to read Augstein's article to be honest.
Instantly the picture of a three-year-old kid having died on a beach trying to reach Europe came to my mind. Surely he agreed with making politics with that one..?

Honestly, let's face it: Where would we be in Syria, had Russia not interfered?
I guess we all know the answer to that. And if you do not like to have another country controlled by whatever Islamist movement comes to your mind, you should welcome that intervention.
Nobody ever claimed that wars proceed with everyone staying alive, I would think.

You are right of course in your criticism of the German leftist political scene. It is indeed ridiculous how they distinguish :-)

[James]

From http://original.antiwar.com/buchanan/2016/10/06/isis-not-russia-enemy-syria/

We have not plunged into Syria, because we have no vital interest at risk in Syria. We have lived with the Assads since Richard Nixon went to Damascus.

President Obama, who has four months left in office, is not going to intervene. And Congress, which has the sole power to declare war, has never authorized a war on Syria.

Obama would be committing an impeachable act if he started shooting down Russian or Syrian planes over Syrian territory. He might also be putting us on the escalator to World War III.

For Russia has moved its S-400 antiaircraft system into Syria to its air base near Latakia, and its S-300 system to its naval base at Tartus.

As the rebels have no air force, that message is for us.

Russia is also moving its aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, into the Med. Vladimir Putin is doubling down in Syria.

Last weekend, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that US attacks in Syria "will lead to terrible tectonic consequences not only on the territory of this country but also in the region on the whole."

Translation: Attack Syria’s air force, and the war you Americans start could encompass the entire Middle East.

Last week, too, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, warned that creating a "no-fly zone" in Syria could mean war – with Russia. Dunford’s crisp retort to Sen. Roger Wicker:

"Right now, senator, for us to control all of the airspace in Syria it would require us to go to war, against Syria and Russia. That’s a pretty fundamental decision that certainly I’m not going to make."

And neither, thankfully, will Barack Obama.

So, where are we, and how did we get here?

Five years ago, Obama declared that Assad must step down. Ignoring him, Assad went all out to crush the rebels, both those we backed and the Islamist terrorists.

Obama then drew a "red line," declaring that Assad’s use of chemical weapons would lead to US strikes. But when Obama readied military action in 2013, Americans rose up and roared, "No!"

Reading the country right, Congress refused to authorize US military action. Egg all over his face, Obama again backed down.

When Assad began losing the war, Putin stepped in to save his lone Arab ally, and swiftly reversed Assad’s fortunes.

Now, with 10,000 troops – Syrian, Iraqi Shiite militia, Hezbollah, Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Afghan mercenaries – poised to attack Aleppo, backed by Russian air power, Assad may be on the cusp of victory in the bloodiest and most decisive battle of the war.

Assad and his allies intend to end this war – by winning it.

For the US to reverse his gains now, and effect his removal, would require the introduction of massive US air power and US troops, and congressional authorization for war in Syria.

The time has come to recognize and accept reality.

While the US and its Turkish, Kurdish and Sunni allies, working with the Assad coalition of Russia, Hezbollah and the Iranians, can crush ISIS and al-Qaida in Syria, we cannot defeat the Assad coalition – not without risking a world war.

And Congress would never authorize such a war, nor would the American people sustain it.

[Zyme]

I would say this is a very sound analysis regarding the American perspective.
Thank you!

[David]

Pat Buchanan hardly offers an "American Perspective". Nobody takes that right-wing nut job and Hitler enthusiast seriously.

Assad and his friend Putin have by now murdered over 300,000 Syrian citizens - including tens of thousands of children. They can keep exterminating the population but they will never "win" the civil war.

[James]

@Zyme: You're welcome. Pat Buchanan has been marginalized in the American discourse, but it wasn't always so. He used to be a co-host of CNNN's "Crossfire."

[otton bexaron]

Over 50 Million of the 600 Million Latin Americans descend partially from Arab Christians from Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, that migrated to Latin America between 1860 und 1920. Latin Americas best known hospital is the Hospital Sirio-Libanes in Sao Paulo/Brazil. Since the Assad Government always protects the 2.5 Million Christian in Syria, logically Latin Americans favor the permanence of the Assad Government in Syria. Of course as the anti-imperalist Republican Patrick Buchanan has declared: "U.S. Congress is Israel-occupied territory!" Buchanan was Nixons advisor.

[Hattie]

The great minds pontificate, leaders make great decisions, and people flee for their lives and little children die.
Heartless.

[David]

@otton thanks for reminding us that Pat Buchanan was fired from both CNN and MSNBC for his incessant racist and anti-Semitic outbursts.

[koogleschreiber]

At least, the U.S. administration didn't turn a blind eye to the jihadists and salafists when they created the islamic state in Syria and Iraq. According to former DIA Chief Michael Flynn it was a willful decision to let these criminals create a sunni buffer zone between Iran and Asad's Syria.