U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, was recently interviewed about Syria. While many of his assertions can be debated, one especially requires a response.
Throughout the interview, he repeatedly insisted that, if Bashar Assad would only leave power, everything would go well — especially for all of Syria’s minorities.
In his words: “I believe that a peace can protect all of the minorities: Druze, Christian, Isma‘ilis, Alawites — all of them can be protected, and you can have a pluralistic Syria, in which minority rights of all people are protected.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Kerry declared that “The world would protect the Alawites, Druze, Christians, and all minorities in Syria after the ousting of Assad.”
The problem here is that we have precedent — exact precedent. We’ve seen this paradigm before and know precisely what happens once strongman dictators like Assad are gone.
As demonstrated in this article, in all Muslim nations where the U.S. has intervened to help topple dictators and bring democracy, it is precisely the minorities who suffer first. And neither the U.S. nor “the world” do much about it.
After the U.S. toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Christian minorities were savagely attacked and slaughtered, and dozens of their churches were bombed (see here for graphic images). Indeed, Christians have been terrorized into near-extinction, so that today, a decade after the ousting of Saddam, more than half of them have fled Iraq.
The “world” did nothing.
Ever since U.S.-backed, al-Qaeda-linked terrorists overthrew Libya’s Qaddafi, Christians—including Americans—have been tortured and killed (including for refusing to convert), their churches bombed, and their nuns threatened.
Not much “pluralism” there.
Once the Muslim Brotherhood replaced Mubarak in Egypt — and all with U.S. support — the persecution of Copts practically became legalized, as unprecedented numbers of Christians—men, women, and children—were arrested, often receiving more than double the maximum prison sentence, under the accusation that they had “blasphemed” Islam and/or its prophet.
Not only did the U.S. do nothing — it asked the Coptic Church not to join the June Revolution that led to the ousting of the Brotherhood and Muhammad Morsi.
In short, where the U.S. works to overthrow secular autocrats, the quality of life for Christians and other minorities takes a major nosedive. In Saddam’s Iraq, Qaddafi’s Libya, and Assad’s Syria (before the U.S.-sponsored war), Christians and their churches were largely protected.
Today, Syria is the third worst nation in the world in which to be Christian, Iraq is fourth, Libya 13th, and Egypt 22nd. Such are the fruits of U.S. intervention in the name of “democracy.”
So how can anyone, especially Christians and other minorities, have any confidence in Kerry’s repeated assurances that religious minorities will be safeguarded once secular strongman Assad is gone — and by the “world” no less — leading to a “pluralistic” Syria?
And from an American point of view, what are we to make of Kerry? Is the U.S. Secretary of Statethat deluded and detached from reality, or, as Russian President Vladimir Putin once said of him, also in the context of Syria: “he is lying and knows he is lying. It’s sad.”

exsgtbrown says
Elsewhere in the interview, Kerry declared that “The world would protect the Alawites, Druze, Christians, and all minorities in Syria after the ousting of Assad.”
the world isn’t doing this now…
bonnie loranger says
The world, the UN, America, Perry wont protect them. Most people know that. Perry is living in La, la land. he should follow Alice intoo the rabbit hole and grow up and learn his lessons. What a shmucks.
interesting says
I wonder if John Kerry even believes the utter dribble that comes out his mouth anymore.
nolongerlib says
very informative, a good article.
i agree-the more kerry and bo interfere in the middle east, the worse things get. riots, persecution of minorities, and influx of more radicals.
David says
US politicians live in a fantasy world where they ignore history, & think something with a one in a million chance is going to happen. We saw that with Afghanistan where they completely ignored everything that has happened in that country over & over again in history, thinking they were going to do something good in that Islamic hell hole. Kerry is living in a fantasy world once again in Syria.
Islam_Macht_Frei says
John Kerry is an utter fool and a complete disgrace.
JessieJames says
Kerry and McCain are alot alike, everytime either one says something, it comes out utter stupidity. Neither one of these clowns deserve a place in politics especially Kerry. That stupid Stan Laurel look of his says it all; “what are we gonna’ do now Ollie?” And Ollie responds by saying “we’re gonna’ dream up the most ridiculas fiasco we can possibly think of and we are gonna’ tell it to the world as though it were the truth.” And all those with the IQ of a rock (obama followers) will believe it.
Jay Boo says
Obama also made many promises
gravenimage says
Raymond Ibrahim: Kerry Boasts of ‘Pluralistic’ Syria Once Assad Gone
……………………………………
*Insanity*. While Assad is *hardly* an egalitarian—and is a thoroughgoing antisemitic, like most in the region—he actually has supported Christians, Druze, and Shi’ites to a point, if only to serve to bolster Alawite rule.
Now, Syria was *never* a place where Christians could live as equals—but still, there was a reason that threatened Christians from Iraq fled there.
Whereas, the Sunni Jihadists are also Sunni supremacists, and have issued Fatwas authorizing the systematic rape of Christian, Alawite, Druze, and Shi’ite women. Jihadist rebels have been murderously targeting all these minorities for the past several; years.
Through flight to Lebanon, forced conversion to Islam, and slaughter, the Christian population in Syria has been reduced by at least a quarter just in the past couple of years.
There is a good chance that the tiny minority Alawites may be wiped out altogether.
The idea that Syria is going to *more* pluralistic under Sunni Jihad terrorists is just a sick fantasy, and one easily disproven by the slightest observation of the facts.
More:
Throughout the interview, he repeatedly insisted that, if Bashar Assad would only leave power, everything would go well — especially for all of Syria’s minorities.
……………………………………
Despite his severe shortcomings, minorities in Syria pretty much universally *support* Assad, because they know that the Sunni rebels will be *much, much worse*.
More:
Elsewhere in the interview, Kerry declared that “The world would protect the Alawites, Druze, Christians, and all minorities in Syria after the ousting of Assad.”
……………………………………
The world certainly isn’t doing much to protect them now—how likely is it that the world would protect them in a Shari’ah state? Absurd.
And the mere fact that Kerry is referring to “the world” shows an acknowledgment—not matter how roundabout—that the *rebels* are not going to be protecting minorities.
More:
After the U.S. toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Christian minorities were savagely attacked and slaughtered, and dozens of their churches were bombed (see here for graphic images). Indeed, Christians have been terrorized into near-extinction, so that today, a decade after the ousting of Saddam, more than half of them have fled Iraq.
……………………………………
And, as I noted, many of them fled to Syria.
And note, we could not—or would not—protect minorities even though we have been in Iraq for most of the past ten years. Certainly, it was never a priority.
We certainly are not going to be even nominally present in Syria—we will, in fact, have no influence there whatsoever.
Everywhere that has fallen under the “Arab Spring”—really, as supremacist Sunni “awakening”—minorities of all kinds have suffered terribly. It is no different in Syria.
More:
And from an American point of view, what are we to make of Kerry? Is the U.S. Secretary of Statethat deluded and detached from reality, or, as Russian President Vladimir Putin once said of him, also in the context of Syria: “he is lying and knows he is lying. It’s sad.”
……………………………………
Well, that’s the only real question, isn’t it? I believe that some figures like John McCain are just willfully clueless in believing that Jihadist rebels are “freedom fighters”—but Obama and Kerry? More and more, it seems likely that they are deliberately enabling this barbarism. Really frightening…
Transmaster says
Kerry is like a two bit movie star. All of their lives they have been told how wise, and beautiful, and talented, they are. Along the way they start to believe it.
Kepha says
This convinces me more than ever that the more intelligent presidential candidate won in 2004. Kerry is one more faux-siphticated East Coast person with who isn’t anywhere near as smart as he thinks he is–and probably a lot dumber in a real-world sense than many people he probably scorns as stupid.
Pluralistic Syria? Don’t make me laugh. The side our wise, wonderful weeders (Elmer Fudd saying “leaders”) wants us to support has shown by very clear actions that they plan to cleanse Syria of non-Sunnites–somewhat the way the Ba’ath regime cleansed it of its Jewish community.
Pumbar says
This guy shouldn’t be in office; he should be in an asylum.
Barbara says
I wish Kerry would put the same amount of effort to bring home those still living POW/MIA left behind from the Vietnam War.