The infamous Islamic State has sealed its fate by attacking Paris last week, US political analyst Phil Butler told Sputnik; however, given that the West has its own geopolitical plans in the Middle East, the destruction of ISIL still may not be the primary goal, he added.
The notorious Paris attack, carried out on the eve of the Vienna negotiations over Syria, has indirectly played into the hands of the Western anti-ISIL alliance, allowing Western leaders to re-assert their stance.
And still the question remains open whether the US and France will join Russia’s efforts aimed at eradicating terrorism in the region or pursue their own geopolitical goals including the «Assad must go» idea.
«This is a very good question, one I have been deep in conversation over all day. Without the past illogical strategies of the West, I’d say France, the US and Russia could eradicate ISIL in a few weeks time. Given there is another «stronger» agenda going on, it may be that the destruction of ISIL will still not be the goal. If another player, Israel for instance, is playing some fundamentally crucial role in all this, albeit a quiet one, we may see France and the US sidestep Mr. Putin yet again. The smart move is to get rid of the threat, then go back to playing hegemony chess. One slip in a France gambit on Putin, and Obama and the Neocons will have an angry mob,» American journalist and political analyst Phil Butler told Sputnik.
According to the US journalist, ISIL has sealed its fate by attacking Paris.
«Now, with innocent Russia, French, and other people’s blood spilt, they are over,» Butler pointed out.
Undoubtedly, the Paris attack will have resonance for different European political forces. And it seems that right-wing groups as well as Euroskeptics will jump at the opportunity to gain new political points.
«Given the socio-economic pressures and tensions within most European nations now, I do not see how we will avoid some friction and ensuing conflicts. Even before these horrid attacks, the right has seen a real resurgence with regard to outsiders. Then too, moderates worldwide have shown uncommon apathy and even callousness in grasping even neo-Nazism in Ukraine and in other states. I guess it’s fair to say we are sitting on a real powder keg right now,» Butler told Sputnik.
While European leaders are weighing the pros and cons of potentially shutting European borders, Paris and Washington are beating the war drums in the wake of the hideous Paris massacre.
Joining the chorus of US hawks, Republican hopeful Jeb Bush has called for invoking NATO’s Article 5 in order to deal a fatal blow to the Islamic State.
According to another political analyst, Bangkok-based expert Tony Cartalucci, it would be naïve to believe that the US or its NATO allies will change their stance over Syria.
First and foremost, Washington is going to get rid of Bashar al-Assad, by hook or by crook, the analyst stresses.
«It should seem extraordinary to the global public that even after the attacks in Paris, the West still insists on undermining the Syrian government toward its goal of ‘regime change,’ which includes continued material support to armed militants — all of which are extremists, and many of which have either coordinated with, or fought under the banner of al-Qaeda and even the self-proclaimed ‘Islamic State’,» Cartalucci wrote in his recent piece for New Eastern Outlook.
Although Western leaders are pledging to eliminate the terrorists and establish peace in Syria, in reality they have no intention of bringing stability to the country, according to the analyst. Furthermore, the Western political establishment’s goal is to leave Syria Balkanized and destroyed like Libya.
«The West promises that it will end the chaos in Syria, just like they promised it would end in Libya. It will not end in either,» Cartalucci warned.