Socialist Appeal
The British section of the International Marxist Tendency
This week, for the first time in ten years, Vladimir Putin attended the UN general assembly, followed by a closed door meeting with Barack Obama. Only one month ago such a meeting would have seemed highly unlikely. The significant increase of a Russian military presence in Syria over the past month has changed the situation.
A grotesque humanitarian disaster looms large as the conflagration and mayhem ravages the Middle East. The number of people fleeing the civil war just in Syria has now surpassed four million, according to the UN refugee agency. Only a socialist revolution can cleanse the region of all violence, imperialism, sectarianism and reaction.
Last week, the long-awaited nuclear deal between Iran and six major world powers was signed. This brings to an end more than three decades of harsh economic sanctions imposed on Iran by US imperialism and marks a complete defeat of the US strategy of intimidation, blackmail and coercion of Iran.
As the Syrian civil war drags on into its fourth year, the war is entering a new phase. US imperialism is losing control in the Middle East as old allies distance themselves and begin to pursue their own interests more forcefully. This is a recipe for inreased instability and turbulence in the region.
The war in Yemen, which has killed and wounded thousands, is bringing out the contradictions in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia finds itself increasingly isolated. Tension between the different players and powers across the region is increasing, provoking instability on all levels.