by Stephen Lendman

Britain is a longstanding US imperial partner, involved in virtually all its wars of aggression - four post-9/11.

It’s been covertly bombing Syrian targets jointly with US warplanes since last year, along with Israel, France, Canada and Australia - on the phony pretext of combating ISIS.

Now it’s official after parliament voted 397 to 223 for war (a nearly two-thirds majority), following nearly a half-day debate - dozens of Labour and Lib Dem MPs joining with hawkish Torries.

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn’s strong opposition didn’t help. In response to the vote, he twittered: “I have argued, and will continue to do so, that we should re-double our efforts to secure a diplomatic and political end to the conflict in Syria.”

“British service men and women will now be in harm’s way and the loss of innocent lives is sadly almost inevitable.”

Corbyn’s shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn disgracefully supported Prime Minister David Cameron’s rage for war - naked aggression against Syria and its people already begun. More on this below.

Ignoring Cameron’s real objective, Benn said “(w)e must now confront this evil. It is now time for us to do our bit in Syria.”

He knows full well Britain’s involvement is naked aggression on sovereign Syria, its infrastructure, other government targets, perhaps military ones to follow, and its entire population, suffering hugely since Obama illegally declared war in March 2011, using ISIS and other takfiri terrorists as imperial foot soldiers, supplemented since last year by US air power and now growing numbers of special forces on the ground.

US, UK, French, Canadian, Israeli and Australian military operations (with Germany posed to join them) are flagrantly illegal - conducted without Security Council authorization.

Russia’s campaign fully complies with international law - following Assad’s request for help in battling terrorism, focusing solely on ISIS and other takfiri targets throughout the country, scrupulously avoiding civilian casualties - polar opposite how Washington and coalition partners operate, killing more noncombatants than militants in all their wars.

Perhaps worse than ever horrors afflicting long-suffering Syrians is now underway - Cameron openly partnering with Obama’s aggression, along with other coalition partners - on the phony pretext of combating terrorism.

Hypocrisy and endless wars of aggression define Obama’s legacy. Since taking office in January 2009, he broke every major promise made, domestic and geopolitical - notably on US Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia policy, pledging hope, change, peace, democratic values, “a new era of openness,” and willingness to engage virtually all world heads of state diplomatically.

Instead he delivered confrontation with Moscow and Beijing, along with endless imperial wars, from day one in office to now, raging in multiple theaters, about to be escalated in Syria - perhaps Iran, Russia and China to follow, during his tenure or his successor’s.

The threat of another global war is greater than any time since the late 1930s - today’s super-weapons making ones used in that era look like toys.

Hours after Britain’s parliament approved war on Syria, four Cyprus-based Royal Air Force Tornadoes joined with US warplanes, launching lawless airstrikes, hitting no ISIS targets. Britain’s Defense Ministry withheld information on sites struck.

Obama issued a statement, saying “(w)e look forward to having British forces flying with the coalition over Syria, and will work to integrate them into our coalition air-tasking orders as quickly as possible.”

Russia alone is waging real war on terrorism. Washington and coalition partners represent pure evil - enemies of world peace and stability.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond issued an ominous statement, saying “(a)irstrikes alone will not finish ISIL,” suggesting a Western ground campaign to come.

Perhaps all-out US-led war will follow - aiming to replace Assad with a pro-Western puppet, why Obama launched war in the first place.

Russia’s effective intervention changed things dramatically, clashing with Washington’s imperial objectives.

Could Syria become a flashpoint for US-Moscow confrontation, risking the unthinkable, possible nuclear war ahead?

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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