Welcome to the Empire Files podcast. This is Abby Martin. This is the audio version of each episode of the Empire Files hosted on Telesaur English. You can watch every episode at the Empirefiles. TV.

When the Arab Springs started in 2011, the Empire decided which revolutions were good and which were bad, pouring arms and money into

police state monarchies to crush legitimate protests from Egypt to Bahrain. But some movements were

lauded by U.S. politicians as great causes for freedom. Conveniently, in countries whose governments

they had long hoped to overthrow and rushed to their aid. In Libya, the U.S.

was able to accomplish its plan for regime change in less than a year, thrusting the country deep

into misery. But in Syria, the regime change plan hasn't gone as smoothly. A list of changing

rationales and goals have spanned the last five years.

In history, would judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turned a blind eye to a dictator's

wanton use of weapons of mass destruction.

Millions of dollars in cash and weapons flowed to the rebel forces fighting to overthrow

the government.

Once ISIS rose to dominance, U.S. officials said it was no longer

about toppling Assad. It was about defeating the terrorist group in Syria, without Syria's

permission. But the administration still insists Assad must go in order to defeat ISIS. In addition

to confusing and contradictory statements by the White House, the U.S. has an array of complex alliances and enemies in the region, from Turkey to Iran.

There's much at stake in a bloody war that's already taken the lives of 250,000 human beings.

To help break through the web of forces on the empire's chess board,

I sat down with Dr. Vijay Prashad,

professor of international studies at Trinity College

and author of several books,

including a people's history of the third world,

...