To illustrate his statement Giraldi points to op-eds written by Frederic C. Hof, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Rafik Hariri Center. The CIA veteran underscores that Hof is, "somewhat uncharacteristically," an actual expert on the Arab world with knowledge of Arabic, who served as President Barack Obama's Special Adviser for Transition in Syria in 2012.
According to Giraldi, Hof's stance is a reflection of the US government's "version of reality."
Hof insists "that the Syrian civil war cannot end as long as al-Assad remains in power is described as an 'objective truth' that adversaries like Russia and Iran refuse to accept. Al-Assad is described as a 'barrel bomber in chief.' Iran, in particular, should 'grasp the chance to become a normal state'," the CIA veteran writes.
According to the retired CIA officer, the antagonism toward Damascus could be rooted in the US neoconservative pro-Israel agenda. American neocons, supported by Tel-Aviv, have long been seeking to subvert the Syrian regime.
Remarkably, although Bashar al-Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians is usually cited as a justification for armed intervention, these incidents increasingly look as if they were fabricated for political purposes.
Giraldi refers to the fact that independent observers claim the 2013 Ghouta attack was a staged "false flag" operation carried out by Syrian rebels aided by the Turkish intelligence service.
In April 2014 Pulitzer-prize winning US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported that the Turkish government was behind the infamous sarin attacks blamed on Bashar al-Assad.
In October 2015, Turkish Republican People's Party CHP deputies, Eren Erdem and Ali Seker, told journalists that despite all evidence, an investigation into Turkey's involvement in the procurement of sarin gas was derailed by Ankara.
"Wiretapped phone conversations reveal the process of procuring the gas at specific addresses as well as the process of procuring the rockets that would fire the capsules containing the toxic gas. However, despite such solid evidence there has been no arrest in the case. Thirteen individuals were arrested during the first stage of the investigation but were later released, refuting government claims that it is fighting terrorism," the parliamentarians said as cited by Todays Zaman.
However, there are American politicians, who openly challenge Washington's incomprehensive Syrian agenda, Giraldi remarks.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, told CNN that it is time for Washington to halt its "illegal, counter-productive war to overthrow the Syrian government of Assad."
"I don't think Assad should be removed. If Assad is removed and overthrown, ISIS [Daesh], al-Qaeda, al-Nusra [Front], these Islamic extremist groups will walk straight in and take over all of Syria… they will be even stronger," Gabbard said.
"Tulsi Gabbard is one brave Congresswoman," the CIA veteran emphasizes.
Those who advocate for a full-scale ground intervention in Syria have apparently forgotten the lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Afghanistan is rapidly sliding back under Taliban control, Iraq is chaotic and its closest friend is Iran while Libya is anarchical. Another intervention? No thanks," Giraldi concludes.
