The Government of the People's Republic of China is considering joining the Russia-promoted coalition that is fighting the terrorist organization ISIS.

As reported by TASS, the Chinese authorities, "who have already contributed to the global fight against terrorism, are studying the possibility of joining the coalition against ISIS".

Russia supports compliance with the rules of international law according to which the coalition forces to fight ISIS must do so respecting the sovereignty of states. This means that any military action to be undertaken in Syria needs to have the authorization of Damascus.

This is in contrast with the position of Washington which prioritizes the idea of the coalition serving to force a regime-change in Syria; just as the US did in Libya with dire effects.

"The doors are open to virtually everyone who wants to join the fight against ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov in a recent visit to Beijing. "Each country must decide for itself how to contribute when joining the coalition."

Experts predict that ISIS is preparing new attacks as part of a supposed "final battle against the West" in response to the pressure they are feeling caused by the air strikes against their positions.

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, head of the terrorist organization, said that Russia's actions are a call to arms to Muslims around the world, and he urged them to "attack sights and crowded places in dozens of countries around the world."

According to Theodore Kasik, an analyst at the Institute for Military Analysis of the Gulf and Middle East, quoted by London paper The Sun, "ISIS is being hit by a combination of air strikes from the US-led operation and the Russian bombings."

According to the expert, that and the fact that Ramadi, the stronghold of the terrorists, was taken by the security forces of Iraq explains ISIS’s current reaction.

Kasik thinks they cannot end ISIS only with bombings, because the terrorist organization has media resources capable of mobilizing their followers around the world.

Recently, the Russian news agency RT published the testimony of US ex-marine Vincent Emanuele about US involvement in the torture and mistreatment of innocent persons during the most recent conflict in Iraq. In an article titled "I helped create ISIS’: Testimony of an Iraq War veteran” Vincent Emanuele confesses, "My nightmares and daily reflections remind me of where ISIS comes from and why, exactly, they hate us.”

“I saw my fellow Marines kill innocent people, torture innocent civilians, destroying property, mutilating dead bodies, running over dead corpses, laughing and photographing people while doing so. “I knew what I was seeing was wrong, I knew it was immoral, I knew it was unjust, I knew it was illegal,” said Emanuele.

The ex-Marine described torture, violence and abuse by US soldiers against Iraqis, including children, "often just for fun."

He remembered how he and his platoon threw garbage out of their Humvee, and pelted children with Skittles, water bottles full of urine, rocks, and debris. He says that although he did not serve in any detention center, he remembers the stories of torture, including sexual, that took place in these centers where “teenage” US marines did their military service.

“I knew what I was seeing was wrong, I knew it was immoral, I knew it was unjust, I knew it was illegal, and I knew that we would pay severe consequences in the form of the blowback as we are seeing with groups like ISIS,” added the US ex-marine.

In his opinion, the real problem lies in the long history of US aggression that wasn’t just in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Vietnam or Korea. It goes back to the genocidal practices employed against Native Americans, African-American slaves, trying to dominate Latin America and stealing half the territory of Mexico.

“We must re-examine carefully the role the US has been playing in the world, something that politicians and Western corporate media have never wanted to do.”

January 5, 2016.

- Manuel E. Yepe http://manuelyepe.wordpress.com/

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.