United States / Syria - The Imperial Self Erases the Word Terrorist to Court a New Ally

Event Baseline: The United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The move follows the U.S. embracing Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda-linked militant.

The word terrorist was never a fact. It was a label applied by the self to the other. Now the other has become useful, so the label is deleted. The mind does not see reality; it sees categories of convenience. The same man who was hunted is now honored. The self does not notice the contradiction because it has no memory. It only has conditioning. The political self switches enemies like clothes. The illusion of a moral order is maintained by language. But the body count does not change. The violence is the same. Only the name changes.