What is being played in Syria is a chess match between the United States and the Russian Federation with Europe sitting on the sidelines as a spectator. The Russians as skilled chess players intervened in the conflict by making the horse's move with a calculation that would make Garry Kasparov envious, taking everyone by surprise, first of all the USA which certainly did not like. The latter in fact came to find themselves in check and were forced to come out, revealing what the well-informed had already known for some time, namely that behind the jihadist groups (defined with a certain sense of humor "moderate rebels") they were there.
Various factions occupy the eastern part of Aleppo holding - in fact - the population hostage, while the remaining two thirds of the city are under government control. It is precisely in trying to clear this portion of the presence of the rebels that the coalition, which includes the Syrian Arab army and the Russian air force among its ranks, is concentrating its forces with inevitable repercussions on the civilian population. And it is precisely by leveraging the latter that the stars and stripes propaganda is trying to influence world public opinion, in an attempt to stop the advance of the government and give breath to its allies.
At the same time, an American-led coalition, comprising Kurdish and Iraqi departments, is advancing towards Mosul to free the city from the Caliphate troops.
In this case the issue of so-called "collateral damage", a sensitive subject for public opinion, was liquidated by labeling the victims with the term "human shields", implicitly implicating the cause of their possible death on the shoulders of the jihadists.
So, on the one hand we have rebels barricaded in a portion of Aleppo who prevent the population from escaping to safety (using the humanitarian corridors often left open by government troops), on the other we have ISIS militarily occupying Mosul, holding hostage the population.
It is here that the question becomes interesting, that is, in the way in which the great international media treat these two events in all respects analogous.
This, just to use a term very dear to Marcello Foa, great expert in communication, is the typical situation in which he built a "frame" (in this case even two) to which all the organs of information are accepted by accepting it in a manner preconceived.
frame we mean an area that circumscribes the news and is rebounded intact through all the mass media.
Frame in this case it is the fact that the Russian bombardiers, regardless of civilian victims, continue to bomb Aleppo Est in order to free the city; at the same time frame it is the fact that the troops of the caliphate use unarmed civilians as a human shield to stop the bombardments, which nevertheless continue.
On the one hand, the cause of civilian death is Russian bombs, while on the other are jihadists. Here it is, double standard and the information media that adapt without asking too many questions.
All this massive use of communication techniques, aimed at confusing public opinion, is not intended to influence the American public, which is now of little or no interest in the Middle Eastern scenario as it no longer has troops fighting in the field, nor is it addressed to the Russian audience which, in an a priori manner, supports the choices of their government. The real target of all this is the European public, forced by their national and supranational representatives, to watch the game helplessly like a child too small to be able to speak in the affairs of adults.
And to think that it is precisely that cowardly spectator, sitting on the chair in silence to observe the moves of one and the other player, who together with the Syrian people are paying the highest price having to witness daily the exodus exodus within their own borders of refugees , but above all he is the one who could act as a needle of the balance by making his weight count.
Unfortunately, thinking of being able to undertake land operations in Aleppo est to free it from the rebel troops is unthinkable because in addition to the obvious repercussions on civilians, would result in a bloodbath among the soldiers.
The bombings, unfortunately, remain the only option to quickly resolve the stalemate that has been created.
If the US and European governments truly cared about the fate of civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo, they would force their allies, barricaded in the eastern part of the city, to allow civilians to escape through humanitarian corridors.
These corridors are currently open and the civilian population - adequately informed of their location through government media, social media, megaphones placed nearby, word of mouth or even through flyers dropped from the sky - could use them to escape from aerial bombings. .
However, most of them refuse to save themselves; in fact, despite being Sunni like the occupiers, she is killed promptly by snipers or by mortar shots fired by the rebels in case of escape.
The United States play their game and Russia is his. How long will Europe intend to remain seated in silence like a child at the big table?
