The Building of a Nuclear Syria Meme
UPDATED below:
On August 31 the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by John Bolton on the negotiations about nuclear disarmament with North Korea. At the end, quite out of nowhere, he inserts this paragraph:
Finally, we need to learn the details of North Korean nuclear cooperation with other countries. We know that both Iran and Syria have long cooperated with North Korea on ballistic missile programs, and the prospect of cooperation on nuclear matters is not far-fetched. Whether and to what extent Iran, Syria or others might be "safe havens" for North Korea's nuclear weapons development, or may have already participated with or benefited from it, must be made clear.
Bolton is usually more assertive with WMD claims. Here he seems to be unsure about a nuclear connection between North Korea and Syria. But the meme is out.
It gets picked up, enforced and recycled. The New York Times writes today:
One Bush administration official said Israel had recently carried out reconnaissance flights over Syria, taking pictures of possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials believed might have been supplied with material from North Korea. The administration official said Israeli officials believed that North Korea might be unloading some of its nuclear material on Syria.
“The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” the official said. He said it was unclear whether the Israeli strike had produced any evidence that might validate that belief.
The Israeli papers Haaretz and YnetNews (Yedioth Ahronoth) are quoting from the NYT.
Syria has a small civil nuclear research program build with the help of the IAEA and several 'western' states. The U.S. based Nuclear Threat Initiative has some details on these programs. There are no known connections to North Korea but Syria's open purchase of some SCUD missile clones.
There are rumors distributed by Syrian ex-pats about a secret Syrian nuclear weapon program:
Sources close to RPS have disclosed that Syria is involved in military nuclear research not too far from Deir el-Hajjar, a tourist area in Syria. Deir el-Hajjar is also known for agricultural research, which is intended to hide the real purpose of nuclear research.
Deir el-Hajjar seems to be a site near Damascus (Google Maps) that doesn't show anything suspicious. It's the place to go when you want to know about Feeding ensiled poultry excreta to ruminant animals (yuck). It is far away from north eastern Syria which was the alleged target area of Israel's air attacks last week.
RPS is the Reform Party of Syria which is a:
US-based Syrian opposition party to the Assad regime that has emerged as a result of September 11.
The party is governed by secular, peace committed American-Syrians, Euro-Syrians, and native Syrians who are determined to see that a "New Syria" is reborn that embraces real democratic and economic reforms.
Founder of that party is Farid N. Ghadry, "Syria’s version of Ahmad Chalabi" and an AIPAC member.
So we have a neocon Syrian ex-pat (Ghadry left Syria at the age of 8!) who for quite some time is pandering about a secret Syrian nuclear program. We have neocon John Bolton suggesting that Syria might purchase some nuclear stuff from North Korea and we have one anonymous administration official (Deputy National Security Advisor Elliot Abrams?) that rumors about something Israeli officials are said to believe.
That's not much and the connections between these people are obvious. But now the meme is out there and we can be sure some will build on it until we are to believe in another possible mushroom cloud.
UPDATE: See comment 15 and 16 on how the meme has now spread to the Washington Post and from there is echo chambered again by the Israeli press.
Posted by b on September 12, 2007 at 15:39 UTC | Permalink
I keep telling people - this is the place to come for the news.
Thanks b for getting this out there.
Posted by: Hamburger | Sep 12 2007 16:04 utc | 2
this toupee topped Telemachus, john bolton, wouldn't know a globe if it was inserted rectally with the help of an amazonian tribe
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Sep 12 2007 17:38 utc | 3
Let me see here.
The ass Bolton makes a comment, the NYT picks it up and expands it. Then, "The Israeli papers Haaretz and YnetNews (Yedioth Ahronoth) are quoting from the NYT."
I got five bucks that say within the week the NYT will be quoting and using as sources the Israeli papers Haaretz and YnetNews (Yedioth Ahronoth), about the same issue.
I see how it works.....
Posted by: IntelVet | Sep 12 2007 18:07 utc | 4
Josh Landis of Syria Comment is apparently part of the echo chamber:
The tip given to me four days ago that North Korean technology was the object of the strike has made it to the main-stream press. The debate now seems to center on what was hit - production facilities for missiles, chemicals, or something nuclear.
Sheesh. So now bloggers are getting pulled in to this game as patsies?
Posted by: Bea | Sep 12 2007 18:28 utc | 6
An old Gonzo journalism trick á la Hunter Thompson: start a nasty rumor and then report, "There are rumors about that..."
May The Doctor's ashes fall from space and rain down on Bolton's head.
Posted by: ralphieboy | Sep 12 2007 19:33 utc | 7
Why are people not discussing the Iraqi oil law now before the Iraqi parliment? From what little I can learn of it, to me, it's the simple explanation for our invasion of Iraq. I wish the blogsphere would take on the issue here in the U.S.
Posted by: ben | Sep 12 2007 19:44 utc | 8
@ben
It has been discussed here many times, but there is always room for more. Why don't you write what's on your mind about it, to start? That will get some discussion going.
:)
Posted by: Bea | Sep 12 2007 19:52 utc | 10
@ Bea #10..
You're right bea, but I read better than I write. I guess I'm just amazed that the Iraqi oil law isn't disected more by the people opposed to this war in the media. I googled iraqoillaw and got a wealth of info on the subject. At the very least I would expect a group like Air America to pick up the cause and not let it go. But nary a peep is heard anywhere. Maybe it's too complicated to explain to rank and file Americans. Guess I'll get busy and start e-mailing. Have a good one. ben
Posted by: ben | Sep 12 2007 20:26 utc | 11
Sheesh. So now bloggers are getting pulled in to this game as patsies?
No, academics with/without tenure.
Posted by: Malooga | Sep 12 2007 21:17 utc | 12
Sheesh. So now bloggers are getting pulled in to this game as patsies?
It's information warfare & they're playing for keeps --- gotta keep up w/the times & all that crap. Which is why I don't necessarily believe they're going to attack Iran, just because they disseminated the bs far more thoroughly this time...Could still be a pressure tactic...I keep hoping against hope they aren't that stupid - as I obviously know they're evil/sadistic/wantonly destructive enough to do it...
But goddamn these sewer rats - Riverbend just got to Syria & she Does not need another bloody war thank you very much. I heard yesterday that the outflow to Syria was so large that they're opening a new university there for the academics they've gotten. So if the sewer rats can be restrained, Syria could be in for a big leap forward in their evolution. Iff...
Posted by: jj | Sep 13 2007 1:46 utc | 13
I have the impression that Landis makes an honest effort to give space to a variety of differing views, some of which may well include people spreading disinformation or those who are just plain wrong. Naturally he is entitled to his opinions, and, like all of us, subject to error. However, the general tone of his site is, in my opinion, one of open debate and civility which, given the subject matter, is no small accomplishment.
With regard to the recent Israeli air incursion against Syria, I have yet to find a convincing explanation or sufficiently detailed information to draw a conclusion, except, of course, that there seems to be considerably more here than meets the eye. A very unpleasant memory of a vaguely similar incident dates back to 1973 when several Syrian fighter planes were downed by the IAF about 10 days before the start of the Yom Kippur War.
Posted by: Hannah K. O'Luthon | Sep 13 2007 7:20 utc | 14
The meme builds - Washington Post today: N. Korea, Syria May Be at Work on Nuclear Facility
North Korea may be cooperating with Syria on some sort of nuclear facility in Syria, according to new intelligence the United States has gathered over the past six months, sources said. The evidence, said to come primarily from Israel, includes dramatic satellite imagery that led some U.S. officials to believe that the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.Not how the REGULAR intelligence process was circumvented here.The new information, particularly images received in the past 30 days, has been restricted to a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance, said the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Some cautioned that initial reports of suspicious activity are frequently reevaluated over time and were skeptical that North Korea and Syria, which have cooperated on missile technology, would have a joint venture in the nuclear arena.
...
Israel conducted a mysterious raid last week against targets in Syria. The Israeli government has refused to divulge any details, but a former Israeli official said he had been told that it was an attack against a facility capable of making unconventional weapons.
...
John R. Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a critic of the administration's dealings with North Korea, said that given North Korea's trade in missiles with Syria, it is "legitimate to ask questions about whether that cooperation extends on the nuclear side as well."
Stovepiped from the Israeli's via Bolton/Abrahms to Cheney and Hadley. The usual CIA analysts "unaware" and "uncertain".
The only thing distinct nuclear one could find through sat pics is a special building like a reactor casing. For anything else, any building will do. As Syria certainly isn't building a secret reactor, something that would take 10-15 years and billions in money, the whole issue is a hoax.
And here comes, predictable, the echo chamber:
Haaretz: Report: U.S. suspects Syria may be building nuclear facility
A week after Syria claimed Israeli aircraft violated its airspace and dropped munitions within its territory, a U.S. official was quoted on Thursday as saying Damascus may be building a nuclear facility with North Korean assistance.According to a Washington Post report, a U.S. official talking on condition of anonymity said recent satellite images gathered over the past six months mostly by Israeli sources indicate Syria may be building such a facility.
Access to the information has been heavily restricted to a team headed by security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of the reports' significance, the U.S. newspaper quoted sources as saying.
...
Jerusalem Post: Report: N. Korea, Syria may be at work on nuclear facility
Adding another piece to the puzzle surrounding Israel's alleged air raid on a Syrian target last week, the Washington Post reported Thursday that North Korea may be cooperating with the Syrians on some sort of nuclear facility in their country.The Washington Post report is based on new intelligence the United States has gathered over the past six months, the bulk allegedly from Israel, which includes dramatic satellite imagery that has led some US officials to believe the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.
The new information, particularly images received in the past 30 days, has been restricted to just a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance, sources told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.
...
YnetNews: Report: Syria, N. Korea building nuclear site together
Washington Post reports recent US gathered intelligence points to possible cooperation between Syria, N. Korea on nuclear facility. Israeli satellite images strengthen claims, but many US officials uncertain of significance
Intelligence gathered by the United States over the past six months points to a possible cooperation between North Korea and Syria on building a nuclear facility on Syrian land, according to a report published by the Washington Post Thursday.The report said the evidence for the claim came primarily from Israel, including satellite images that led US officials to believe the facility could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons.
The new information, in particular images received by the US over the past month, has only been shared with a few senior officials, as was instructed by national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley.
Despite reports, the Washington Post said many in the intelligence community were unaware of the images, or uncertain of their significance. Intelligence sources emphasized that preliminary reports on suspicious activity are often reassessed over time and found to be inaccurate.
According to the Washington Post, some security sources expressed doubt over the possibility that Syrian was cooperating with North Korea on a nuclear site, despite the fact that the two countries have previously cooperated on the manufacture of technological missiles.According to a New York Times report published Wednesday, a US official said that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.
...
YnetNews adds yesterday's piece: Report: Israel spots nuclear installations in Syria
Washington official says Israeli surveillance shows possible Syrian nuclear installation stocked by North Korea, Israeli Arab newspaper claims target of alleged raid last week was Syrian missile base financed by Iran
Israel believes that North Korea has been supplying Syria and Iran with nuclear materials, a Washington defense official told the New York Times. “The Israelis think North Korea is selling to Iran and Syria what little they have left,” he said.The official added that recent Israeli reconnaissance flights over Syria revealed possible nuclear installations that Israeli officials estimate might have been supplied with material from North Korea.
...
Well, all the IAF actually seems to claim is that they left a big
new hole in the desert. Is it possible that the whole thing (including an air raid intended only to leave a hole in the desert) is just an elaborate hoax, as b states? Recent history and even more recent propaganda campaigns certainly give one ample reason to be suspicious. Quite probably, at some point in the near future "another shoe will drop" (or be "made to drop") in order to "clarify" the question for an inattentive public, and thus to set off a frenzy to bomb Iran.
Or are we all being played for fools in another way, as DID has suggested, still to the advantage of the War party, but with electoral aims rather than military (mis)adventures in view?
Posted by: Hannah K. O'Luthon | Sep 13 2007 10:19 utc | 17
The new information, in particular images received by the US over the past month, has been restricted to just a few senior officials under the instructions of national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, leaving many in the intelligence community unaware of it or uncertain of its significance existence
*cough*
Posted by: Bea | Sep 13 2007 12:22 utc | 18
You can't even pour a foundation in 30 days. Maybe they bombed the new University. What does a nuclear site look like? A big vegetable wholesaler with trucks going in and out all day, like the one they bombed in the Bekaa valley?
All these reporters are whores and traitors to their own people, and should be treated as such.
Posted by: Malooga | Sep 13 2007 15:08 utc | 19
Malooga et al... perhaps this may be of interest here
Flashback: Hearing delayed as CIA revolts over claims on Syrian threat
The CIA objected to a Bush Administration assessment of the threat posed by Syria's alleged weapons of mass destruction that was to be presented to Congress.After the objections, Tuesday's planned testimony by an undersecretary of state, John Bolton, a leading Administration hawk, was delayed until September.
US officials said Mr Bolton had planned to tell a House of Representatives international relations subcommittee that Syria's development of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons had progressed to a point where they posed a threat to stability in the region. The CIA and other intelligence agencies said the assessment was exaggerated.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Sep 13 2007 15:21 utc | 20
Hmmm...
Another young Microbiologist dies unexpectedly. Can't seem to find out why. Could be benign.
Posted by: Malooga | Sep 13 2007 15:41 utc | 21
OK, here is my hunch (as no one really knows what went on, I guess my guess is as good as any other!):
Israel tries an Osirak operation in Syria's Kurdistan (am I right geographically?). They are caught by new Russian radars. Syria check with Turkey if those are their planes, and Turkey responds they are not. Syria communicates with Israeli cabinet (does anyone really believe there are no chanels open?)saying they'll bring they're planes down. Israel responds that if they do that, there will be no peace talks, or peace at all, once Bush and the other Neo-Cons leaves the government. The pilots receive orders to drop their ammunition, and Israel asks Turkey to allow them to leave the Syrian airspace flyingover Turkey's territory (which makes Turkey with the pro-Islam party now in power absolutely pissed off).
Everybody saves face, as long as everybody keeps silence on what really went on. The AIPAC owned media (pretty much every media outlet in the US, except perhaps the SD Times), starts doing what they do best (Syria is the incarnation of the Devil, Israel the escence of Goodness, bla, bla, bla). Bolton gets a new haircut, his job back at the AEI (Americans Empowering Israel), and everything goes on with their fund raising. Shanah Tovah, eveyone! Nothing new on this new year... again!
Posted by: Rev. Mike Nahas | Sep 14 2007 15:14 utc | 24
What no one has mentioned, so far, is whether the Syrian's were acting as a transit point for another nation, e.g., Iran. Even John Bolton hasn't gone that far.
WPost's Kessler took some heat, and had a good response, on the Foreign Policy Magazine's blog this week. Still, they raised an interesting issue which is the richness of the detail that turned up in response to his inquiries as a Washington Post reporter. That doesn't make him a shill for any source, but it does provoke curiosity about how and why the information is coming to light.
The New York Times also has some reports on the bombing incident, but Kessler's appears to be more on target if you will excuse the unintended pun. I've been following this closely because of its potential impact on the six-party negotiations with N. Korea. I'm relieved that at least for now Hill is still going forward with them.
More details here in two posts on Idaho Samizdat
Murky nuclear issues with Syria - Part 2
http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2007/09/murky-nuclear-issue-lurks-in-syria-part.html
Murky nuclear issues with Syria - Part 1
http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2007/09/murky-nuclear-issue-lurks-in-syria.html
Posted by: Ohadi Langis | Sep 15 2007 18:36 utc | 25
It is all bla, bla, bla...I do not see any real story developing out of this... One day they say it is a weapons depot, another day it is a neclear facility...And then Syria and North Korea deny developing any nuclear programs and please I beg you to tell me the truth...It is all lies...They are all liers and matcho men....That is all funny....hahahahaha....
Posted by: Bachar | Oct 22 2007 0:33 utc | 26
The comments to this entry are closed.
Great post!! I just posted two comments on the previous thread along these exact same lines. You've developed it beautifully I must say.
Thanks.
Posted by: Bea | Sep 12 2007 15:48 utc | 1