Ron Paul slams Obama-Kerry hypocrisy on Syria and Ukraine

Former United States presidential candidate Ron Paul criticizes President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry for hypocrisy in foreign policy especially on Syria and Ukraine.

In a recent article published on Ronpaulinstitute.org, Paul said Obama’s May 28 speech on foreign policy was “a disappointment to anyone who hoped the president might be changing course.”

He called into question Obama’s claim that “because of American diplomacy and foreign assistance, as well as the sacrifices of our military — more people live under elected governments today than at any time in human history.”

Paul, a former US congressman, called out the US double standard in treating the recent presidential elections in Syria and Ukraine, saying, “It’s funny he [Obama] would mention elections.”

“Last week the Syrians held their first multi-candidate presidential election in 50 years. Almost three-quarters of Syrian voters participated, giving President Assad 88 percent of the vote. After three years fighting a foreign-backed insurgency, voting conditions were not optimal.”

“However, despite State Department claims to the contrary, it can no longer be stated that Assad enjoys no popularity in his country. Even former CIA chief Michael Hayden not long ago envisioned Assad winning a fair election in Syria,” he added.

Paul said the US government “completely rejected” the election in Syria, citing Secretary Kerry who called the vote “a great big zero” because “you can’t have an election where millions of your people don’t even have an ability to vote.”

The Syrian election came days after the presidential election in Ukraine where the Western-backed billionaire Petro Poroshenko won with just over 50 percent of the vote.

Ironically, Kerry hailed the Ukrainian election as a “victory for democracy,” Paul said, even though “millions in the eastern part of the country did not have the ability to vote.”

Paul slammed the Obama administration’s approach to the political turmoil in Ukraine.

“When a referendum was held in Crimea this spring in which the vast majority voted to re-join Russia rather than to remain in a Ukraine that had just undergone a regime change, the US administration refused to recognize the results. For Washington, it was ‘illegal’ for Crimea to vote to secede from Ukraine, but it was not illegal for a mob in the street to overthrow an elected government in Kiev.”

“Why does it seem that the US government only recognizes elections as free and fair when the US-favored candidate wins?” the former congressman asked.