Scott Horton Show - Just the Interviews 9/5/25 William Van Wagenen on the Origins of the Arab Spring and Syrian Civil War
Sep 7, 2025
William Van Wagenen, author of "Creative Chaos: Inside the CIA’s Covert War to Topple the Syrian Government," provides a gripping analysis of the Arab Spring's roots and the Syrian Civil War. He explains how grassroots uprisings were often orchestrated by external forces rather than being spontaneous. The conversation dives into the neoconservative influences on U.S. foreign policy, the critical role of past events like the 1982 Hama uprising, and the profound impact of social media and WikiLeaks in igniting protests across the Arab world.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Longstanding Plans To Topple Syria
- The U.S. and allied neoconservative networks long planned regime-change operations targeting Syria before the Arab Spring erupted.
- William Van Wagenen argues these plans aimed to weaken Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah ties and remake the region in Israel's interest.
Same Strategic Logic As Iraq War
- The rationale to remove Syria mirrored the logic behind removing Saddam: break regional threats and prevent large Arab armies from challenging Israel.
- Van Wagenen links early 2000s Pentagon/Israeli plans to later covert operations against Damascus.
Urban Sunnis Had Stakes In The Regime
- Van Wagenen notes Sunni-majority urban classes generally had economic influence and often resisted Islamist rebels.
- He contrasts merchant-class Aleppo and Damascus Sunnis with Alawite military representation.
