ASSAD, as a serious national institution of evil in and of himself has become a Dictator Diva. Assad acts alone. His is one man One evil man. Assad is to blame - not the Syrian people.
The Dictator Diva rhetorical device has become a crucial tool in the war maker's lexicon. It works on several fronts. It provides a foe and fall guy - someone to blame and point a finger at and someone who needs to be fallen while it serves as foil to stymie dissent.
Propaganda to Conspiracy
This is why it is so easy to talk about Assad as being responsible regardless of how convoluted and secret the evidence is. It's because he's a Dictator Diva - a single name threat - he is responsible - not the Syrian people.
It's ok to theorize about convoluted motives because he's one man. "Perhaps it was this," is fine when it is the Dictator Diva's motives and actions, but when it happens to run counter the Establishment line - the rebels could have done this, or Saudis were in play, or CIA could have - it's no longer just theorizing, it becomes a conspiracy theory.
Bandar Bush is not a Dictator Diva - he still requires two names - and besides he's a Bush - who could find him to be a credibly dangerous or powerful international actor... and Saudi Arabia is not a terrorist threat, just a big wealthy country. Lots of powerful people there. It would require some kind of conspiracy for them to act. And really what interests do they have in this civil war?
Israel? It's their intelligence services that are involved. There are lots of players in Israeli intelligence. It would require some kind of conspiracy for them to act. And really what interests do they have in this civil war?
Putin? Hell yea! He's Assad's protector... one name and all.
The CIA? C'mon don't be so transparent. Everyone knows all the crazy CT out there about the CIA - it's the poster child of CT. It would require some kind of conspiracy for them to act. And really what interests do they have in this civil war?
Assad? Can't be a conspiracy. It's him we are after, and him alone - not the Syrian people.
The use of state and corporate propaganda for war is, like by definition, a conspiracy. Whipping the public to rush to war against the Dictator Diva makes dissent take place in the middle of a big fat conspiracy. The elegant simplicity of the Dictator Diva serves as a foil to dissent.
Precision Propaganda
The Dictator Diva allows for placing the blame and shame on one man - not the Syrian people. It also allows the domestic population to perceive the damage that war inflicts as happening to one man - not the Iraqi people. We all breathe easier when we know it is, 'literally' , Assad that we are gunning for - who our smart bombs will reign down upon - not the Syrian people.
Because of the Dictator Diva's heinous use of Chemical Weapons against his own people he, and he alone will be taught a lesson - not the Syrian people. The Syrian people will be benefitted by this punishment of Assad.
If that is not good enough for you, then Assad's punishment - not the Syrian people's - will prevent soon to be Dictator Divas - Assad's understudies - from thinking they can use chemical weapons in the future.
Dissent Foiled
And if that is not good enough, and you don't think we should go to war, still... then you must be a supporter of Assad - not the Syrian people. Why don't you care about the Syrian people?
Domestic Political Divas
This is in effect all over our political discourse these days. Obama, Reagan, and Bush are Presidential Divas that rise to the top of the mind. Try talking about them and see how the discussion goes. It's not about the people, or a complex situation, it's about them. It's all about them.
This is not good for civic discourse. It takes us into war propaganda territory, lord knows we're familiar with it. We know that it's effective because the people always lose. It hides the complex nature of our political issues and boils them down to an Us vs Them caricature that we're supposed to fight about while the realpolitik goes down on our behalf.
It's time we identify and nullify this political tool. The politics of personal destruction, personal deification, and personal distraction should be nonexistent in our civic discourse. One way to do that is to avoid creating and supporting political Divas.