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Global Geopolitical Series: Information war clouds Syrian conflict

Why the U.S. and allies bombed several targets in Syria this month? Was there a chemical attack on Syrian people by Assad regime? Was the strike successful?

The answers to all the above questions depend on who are the people you are listening to, what news programs you are watching and which newspapers you are reading. And hearing from both sides of the conflict will make you even more confused as truth remains far off to all of us who are not on the ground.

If you are reading President Trump’s tweets, then Assad is an animal who gassed his own people with banned chemical substances, “Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price... ....to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!”

And popular news channels would reiterate almost same with additional criticism that western allies haven’t done enough to counter Russia and Syrian President Assad’s army. Try BBC, http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/what-really-happened-in-the-syria-chemical-attack.html or CNN, https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/16/opinions/assad-putin-syria-robertson-opinion/index.html

Whereas, if you prefer alternative news channels like RT, you would hear that the chemical attack in Douma was a staged event and the strike conducted the day before OPCW inspectors arrived was to destroy the evidence of the fake attack, https://www.rt.com/news/423927-syria-staged-chemical-attack-drill/ . You can even read on West’s past deceptions, https://www.rt.com/op-ed/424298-false-flag-syria-attack/ or that more than 70 of the 103 missiles fired were intercepted, https://www.rt.com/news/424103-100-missiles-launched-at-syria/ , while Trump said, “A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

While BBC would tell you that OPCW inspectors are not allowed access to the chemical attack site, RT says, they can go anywhere they want, https://www.rt.com/news/423970-opcw-syria-douma-experts/

If you try, https://www.zerohedge.com/ they would try to present both sides of the story

But when world leaders are not just at war in Syria but over information too, it is next to impossible to know who’s who, and what’s what and we, far off spectators, remain as far-off from the truth as we are from Syria.

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