Editor's note: Li Zixin, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is deputy director of the Office of Research Management at the China Institute of International Studies. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Since the Syrian civil war broke out in early March 2011, the conflict and the humanitarian crisis it triggered have lasted 15 years. According to United Nations figures, more than 14 million people inside Syria need humanitarian aid, over 6.5 million have become refugees, millions have been displaced and large swaths of infrastructure lie in ruins.

From the very start of the crisis, the US launched unauthorized military intervention in Syria, deeply entangling itself in the civil war by backing opposition groups and carrying out airstrikes. US forces repeatedly conducted indiscriminate bombing raids that killed large numbers of innocent civilians and severely damaged local water, power, transport and medical systems. Under the banner of "fighting extremist organizations," American actions repeatedly produced civilian tragedies.

In the name of so-called "protecting human rights," the US also imposed sweeping sanctions on Syria, inflicting losses that cannot be undone.

The guilt of resource plunder

Syria's northeast is rich in oil. Before the war, daily output once reached hundreds of thousands of barrels, forming the lifeline of the national economy. The region is also a vital agricultural zone critical to Syria's food security. Yet ever since US troops moved in during 2014 under the pretext of "fighting the Islamic State," American forces and the Kurdish militias they back have in practice taken control of key energy sites, including the al-Omar oil field in Deir ez-Zor province and the Conoco gas field.

While calling it "protection," the US has effectively seized Syria's energy resources. International media have reported that US troops ship large volumes of oil to American bases in Iraq through illegal channels, with theft and extraction rampant. Nor is it only oil: strategic crops such as wheat have been systematically looted, stripping ordinary Syrians of their basic food supply.

Syrian officials have repeatedly complained to the UN Security Council that these actions have nothing to do with counterterrorism and amount to naked resource theft. Washington claims it is "protecting the oil fields from ISIS," yet the resources have never been used for Syrian reconstruction or local welfare; instead, they serve US military logistics and the interests of its allies.

This is classic "robbing the poor to feed the rich": by occupying territory militarily, the US cuts off the central government's economic lifelines, deepens its fiscal crisis and lets American forces and their proxies profit.

Guilt of anti-humanitarian

US military intervention has directly inflicted enormous suffering on the Syrian people. The tens of thousands of airstrikes conducted by American forces, though officially aimed at ISIS, have in reality caused massive civilian casualties and destroyed infrastructure. Independent international organizations estimate that the US-led international coalition's operations in Iraq and Syria killed more than 10,000 civilians, including thousands of children and women.

The US government, however, admits to only about 1,000 civilian deaths, which is a vast discrepancy. American media investigations have pointed out that US forces appear to have concealed the true scale of civilian casualties in Syria. The airstrikes have not only killed people but also leveled hospitals, schools, granaries and water systems. Reports by Al Jazeera and Reuters document repeated strikes on civilian targets, including residential neighborhoods and mosques, leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Even more devastating is the "economic strangulation" imposed by unilateral US sanctions. The 2019 Caesar Act extended sanctions to any third-party entities doing business with the Syrian government, covering oil, construction, finance and other sectors. UN human rights experts have explicitly stated that these sanctions "worsen the existing humanitarian crisis," denying people any chance to rebuild and causing acute shortages of medicine, food and fuel.

Ordinary Syrians have paid a terrible price for America's unilateral sanctions. This is not "promoting democracy," but a collective punishment and a grave humanitarian crime.

The guilt of undermining peace

The US is not merely a deep participant in the Syrian crisis; instead, it bears primary responsibility for prolonging the civil war for so many years. After the Arab Spring erupted in 2011, Washington intervened almost immediately. Numerous reports from independent international bodies show that the US secretly armed regional opposition groups, supplying money, weapons and intelligence.

The logic behind American intervention was crystal clear: under the slogan of "democratic transition," Washington backed the militarization of opposition forces and pursued regime change against countries in the region that opposed the US. This policy indirectly fueled the rise of extremist groups. ISIS and other terrorist organizations grew powerful by splitting off from the opposition.

Over the past 15 years, the US has repeatedly blocked political solutions proposed by the international community to end the Syrian conflict, while the parallel tracks it supported only fragmented global efforts further. In particular, America's stubborn insistence on maintaining sanctions and a military presence inside Syria has prevented the country from achieving inclusive political reconciliation and building a unified political framework.

The real nature of America's meddling is its double standard: it claims to support peace while keeping its influence alive through troops on the ground, sanctions and proxy wars. Fifteen years of outside interference have not only dragged out the war but also allowed extremist forces to rise again and again, costing millions of lives.

The US turned Syria into a geopolitical chessboard, sacrificing civilian welfare to secure its own strategic advantage. This is not only Syria's tragedy; it is a warning to the entire world about unilateralism and military adventurism.