Topic: Non Lethal Aid

An NPR report from 2014 confirms that the US State Department delivered 43 Toyota Hilux pickups to "moderate" Syrian rebels as "force enablers." The hosts contrast this with recent news stories where US officials expressed confusion over how ISIS obtained so many Toyota vehicles. They suggest the trucks were intentionally provided by the US government and are now being used as mobile weapon platforms.

The U.S. provision of $52 million in "non-lethal" aid to Syrian rebels, including communications gear, is compared to previous interventions. A parallel is drawn between the current rhetoric regarding Syria and the 1990s intervention in Bosnia. The segment suggests that the "civil war" and "ethnic cleansing" narratives are being reused from an established political script to justify military action.