France policy on Syria, contradictory: Analyust

Press TV has interviewed James Petras, a professor emeritus at Binghamton University, in New York, to discuss the recent terrorist attacks in and around the French capital of Paris.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why do you think although we have heard the statement out of Daesh, of ISIL, saying that it is because of France’s policies, that is why it is targeting France, why do you think that France particularly has been targeted at this time?

Petras: I think the French government’s involvement in the Middle East has not been constructive. On the one hand, they claim to be fighting terrorism; on the other hand, they are aiding the so-called rebels in attacking the government of Bashar al-Assad. I think that is a contradiction.

The same people that are spewing terrorism in Syria [and] attacking the Bashar al-Assad government are the same people that are planting bombs in Paris, and the fact of the matter is that the French government has a very ambiguous position. It claims to be fighting terrorism and yet it is aligned with so-called rebels, rebels who have been associating with Daesh.

So I think the French have to not only change their security policy domestically, they have to change their policy as to fighting Daesh. They should join with Iran and Russia and Iraq and Bashar al-Assad.

The second important issue here is who is financing Daesh, who is financing their international operations and most experts agree that Saudi Arabia is really the villain involved in international terrorism because they have been deeply involved with the extremists in Syria and the same people in Syria that are receiving Saudis’ support are the same people who are financing the terrorism in France.

So I think a close look at the role of Saudi Arabia and the so-called rebels in Syria is on the agenda and I think that is the source and the cause of international terrorism today.

Press TV: How do you see this overall, of course it is still quite early, but affecting overall security in France, do you think that it would lead to a total crackdown such as what we saw in the United States after 9/11 or otherwise?

Petras: Well, one would hope that the French government can sort out the issues here. It is one question to fight terrorism, it is another to discriminate and castigate the entire Islamic community in France and that is what I am afraid of, that the French government will overreact and begin to repress and castigate and punish Islamic people who are very loyal French citizens and who are just as much opposed to the terrorists as any French citizen.

Press TV: How dangerous is in general causing division amongst people not only in France, but in Europe itself? We have seen more and more of a growing trend by the right, basically xenophobic type of perspectives, especially as we have seen a wave of people, of refugees coming in from various Middle East and northern African countries. How do you see that playing in all of this?

Petras: Well, again, we have to look at the roots. These are refugees from wars that were generated in part by the Western countries. They have been bombing Iraq for over ten years. They have been bombing Syria for five years; they bombed Libya and destroyed a stable government and I think the big problem here is what policies the Western governments are creating – the refugees – and I think the war policies, the indiscriminate bombings have been a major reason for the refugees and now that the refuges are fleeing to Europe, the Europeans are reaping the consequences of their interventions.

I think the main problem is that the Western countries should join with Russia, Iran and Hezbollah and other countries in solving the problems in Syria and Iraq and preventing destruction that causes people to flee from their homeland and their employment.  

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