In Iraq and Syria: U.S. Backing "Both Sides of Same Conflict"

RAED JARRAR, jarrar.raed@gmail.com, @raedjarrar

Available for a very limited number of interviews, Jarrar is an Iraqi-born Arab-American architect, blogger and political advocate (bio below). He said today: "Last week, the Obama administration requested hundreds of millions of dollars to support Syrian armed opposition groups, and other hundreds of millions to support the Iraqi government.

"Mainstream news coverage has overlooked the contradiction that U.S. aid is destined for opposing sides of the same conflict. In Syria, the Obama administration is arming opposition groups who support its anti-regime position -- and in Iraq, the administration is taking a pro-regime position, funding and training the Iraqi government and its forces.

"Syrian, and now Iranian, jet fighters have been bombing targets in Iraq that have most likely been identified by U.S. intelligence.

"Sending more U.S. weapons and military personnel to Iraq is only complicating an already messy conflict."

See a recent interview with Jarrar on "Moyers & Company": "An Iraqi Perspective: How America's Destruction of Iraqi Society Led to Today's Chaos," which provides a brief bio of Jarrar: "He was born and raised in Baghdad. He lived there on and off under Saddam Hussein's rule, and he experienced America's 'Shock and Awe' campaign from the receiving end.

"After the invasion, Jarrar founded an NGO that did reconstruction work in Iraq. He worked as the country director for the first door-to-door survey of Iraqi civilian casualties conducted after the invasion.

"When the situation in Baghdad became unbearable, Jarrar emigrated to the U.S. and became a writer and peace activist. He translated the controversial Iraq oil law proposed by the Bush administration in 2007, and has consulted with several international humanitarian groups."

Also see Jarrar's interview on "Democracy Now!" "As Obama Considers Drone Strikes in Iraq, Could U.S. Military Action Worsen Sectarian Conflict?"