This weekend’s
deadly drone attack on a US base near the Syria-Jordan border drew outraged responses from pro-war hardliners.
“We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing,”
responded US President Joe Biden in a statement released Sunday. But to what degree is Iran actually responsible for this weekend’s attack, and why do militants across the region resent the United States?
Dr. Hasan Unal, a political science professor at Bashkent University in Ankara, Turkiye, joined
Sputnik’s Fault Lines program Monday to discuss these questions and more.
“It is actually escalating,” said the international relations expert of the
attacks launched against US troops in the Middle East in recent months.
“There are dangerous dimensions to which it can actually escalate.”“When it comes to Iran-backed groups, there's no question that they are certainly interacting with Iran, and I'm sure Iran is backing them politically, diplomatically, economically, as well as militarily,” said the analyst. “But does that mean that Iran basically tells them to or Iran, basically, presses the button, and then they get into action? I would hardly think so… They may be taking their own initiative.”
Unal claims that incidents like the one this weekend would typically spur behind-the-scenes talks to attempt to rein in militant groups, but Sunday’s attack comes amidst a particularly fraught moment. Domestic political pressure is bearing on Biden to project strength during an election year. And
Israel’s campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, which has killed northwards of 26,000 Palestinians, has greatly inflamed tensions across the region.
“In normal circumstances, basically there would be quiet diplomacy behind the scenes between the United States and the Iranians about de-escalation one way or the other,” said Unal. “If Iran has any influence over these groups, the United States would basically seek mediation of some sort, but these days, the United States is on its high horse, and Israel is doing everything to bring the United States into a direct clash with Iran.”
“Because Israel's strategy in Gaza doesn't seem to be working,” he said. “You know, it has got bogged down in every sense.”
Unal asserts that much of the opposition to the United States throughout the Middle East is driven by its support for Israel, which has historically been the US’ largest recipient of foreign aid. Solidarity with the Palestinian cause was one of the founding
principles of Iran’s 1979 revolution. The Islamic Republic has championed a strong sense of anti-imperialism in its foreign policy, informed by the
1953 US-backed coup that overthrew the country’s government and secured Iranian oil for British interests.
More recently, the United States’ post-9/11 wars throughout the region have resulted in the excess deaths of as many as 4.7 million people, according to
recent analysis from Brown University. The US presence in Iraq and Syria is especially resented, as the countries’ governments have rejected the role of American troops.
“They certainly say 'We don't need you. We don't want you, leave our country,'” said Unal. “They don't. And in the case of Syria, the United States has no legal ground to basically station troops on Syrian soil. But they came in 2014, 2015, and then they have stayed on.”
“It is because of the United States military presence there that we have much of this problem,” he concluded.
The analyst claimed that the recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in South Africa’s genocide case is “a very big warning to Israel,” speculating that “emerging multipolarity” in global power may see the country pay “a heavy price for its war crimes.” But, facing substantial corruption charges if forced to step down,
many observers have speculated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has an incentive to continue military action to secure his position.
Netanyahu once expressed confidence in his ability to manipulate the United States to serve his interests.