User:GrimleyThunderbolt/sandbox

Group Project 6

Background/History

The civil war in Syria was covered by the media and American politics as a democratic war between the Syrian people, but the war actually boils down into international pipelines and gas trade. To the public, the Sunni-Shiite conflict is the reason Syria has exploded with inner state strife because that is how the worldwide media has chosen to censor this controversy. In actuality, Syria was approached by Turkey and Qatar to house a natural pipeline between the two nations. The hope was that this pipeline would become the central source for Europe’s gas market, as well as bypassing Russia. Qatar and Turkey wanted to get around Russia, the giant gas conglomerate, in order to have control over the European market which would allow for a steady stream of income for the two nations and leaving Russia dry. Syria denied the natural pipeline and a list of countries came together to form the Free Syrian Army to bring the downfall of President Assad. With President Assad out of the picture, the pipeline would be approved, built, and bringing lots of money into the countries helping to push this Syrian pipeline. The countries determined to throw President Assad out of power called themselves “The Group of Friends of the Syrian People.” The name itself brings to light how the countries wanted the controversy covered: as a people’s issue, but because of the economic and social ramifications the people in this instance were over looked across the board and this issue was wholly under reported.

Who’s Involved

“The Group of Friends of the Syrian People” include the US, UK, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey. According to a leak by the United States, international interference had been occurring within Syria long before the pipeline dispute. The U.S. has been trying to overthrow President Assad by partnering with the same list of countries involved in the current Syrian war to purposefully create civil strife within the country. These efforts have been documented back to 2006 under the Bush Administration and because of the potential breaches in international sovereignty and the human rights abuses perpetrated in the time sense this would negatively impact the legitimacy of past foreign interventions or lack there of.

Media Coverage and Censorship

Media coverage on the Syrian Pipeline deal is very limited. When reading about the war in Syria, any media attention is covering the horrors of war, death, famine, poverty, and the duty to bring democracy to the Middle East.

What the mainstream media isn't talking about is the pipeline deal, the countries connected, and the power influence that it is having on the Syrian country and people. When evaluating the reasons for why the story is so quiet its apparent that money and global power are the main factors.

The censorship stems from the fact that Russia has a massive monopoly on the gas industry that is imported to Europe and that America wants in on the cash. If this were to be openly reported then huge (even more so then now) scrutiny would be placed on the current and previous presidential cabinets. Polls would go down, protest would go up, and the war would then be questioned. This would make it impossible for the associated governments to not only save face but it would also make it harder to capitalize on the financial gain that could be and for controlling more of the regions oil reserves If it isn't about saving lives in the Middle East, then why send in our troops and support.

Ethical Implications

When it comes to the ethical issues of the coverage, it is very clear that the media did not want to cover it. 3rd party, non-profit, sites tried to be transparent and show the truth about why there is unrest in the Syria and the surrounding countries. Mainstream media took a different approach and showed very little, even none, about the pipeline project. If it did appear, especially in recent articles, the news is either about the Obama Administration or now being shifted to the Trump Administration. Some sites that covered it are:

•    http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/10/62769.html

•    https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/press/syria-pipeline-how-the-press-will-not-tell-the-truth-about-syria/

•    http://projectcensored.org/8-syrias-war-spurred-contest-gas-delivery-europe-not-muslim-sectarianism/

It is very unethical for the mainstream media to not cover it, but money talks and all media corporations have biases and an agenda.

Bibliography

•   1)Syria Is Another Pipeline War. (n.d.). http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/10/62769.html

•   2)Syria – Pipeline – How The Press Will Not Tell the Truth about Syria. (n.d.). https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/press/syria-pipeline-how-the-press-will-not-tell-the-truth-about-syria/

•   3) 8. Syria's War Spurred by Contest for Gas Delivery to Europe, Not Muslim Sectarianism - THE TOP CENSORED STORIES OF 2015–2016. (2016, October 03). http://projectcensored.org/8-syrias-war-spurred-contest-gas-delivery-europe-not-muslim-sectarianism/

•   Porter, G. (n.d.). The War Against the Assad Regime Is Not a  Pipeline War  Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37685-the-war-against-the-assad-regime-is-not-a-pipeline-war