The remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday offer one of the first insights into what his administration considers conditions under which it would be forced to intervene militarily in the Syrian conflict. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
Is The U.S. Ready To Fight Syrian Rebels? -- Michael Rubin, Commentary
There’s an unfortunate tendency among foreign policy decision makers in Washington to believe that all options remain on the table indefinitely. Hence, President Obama may believe that the same debates and policy options that occurred two years ago, at the start of the Syrian uprising, still exist today.
The fact of the matter, be it in Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, or anywhere else is that realistic policy options and opportunities to achieve the most favorable outcome for the United States diminish over time. Two years ago, it made sense to support the Syrian opposition. President Bashar al-Assad, far from being the Western-educated reformer in which the Clinton administration and State Department officials placed so much hope, was a brute who supported Hezbollah, transformed Syria into an underground railroad for Al Qaeda terrorists infiltrating Iraq, and sought to build a covert nuclear program.
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My Comment: With almost 10,000 killed in just the past few weeks alone, and a civil war that is now raging in almost every part of the country .... no one is going to listen to what the U.S. may propose and/or recommend to end the conflict in Syria. In short .... if there ever was a place where the U.S. now has zero influence .... it is in Syria today. And while many (like Sen. McCain) may wish that this was not the case .... it is clear from my perspective that the White House never had an interest to intervene in the Syrian conflict .... and made a conscious decision (that is probably supported by most Americans) to not get involved in another Middle East war.
But while there are always consequences when one intervenes in another country .... there are also consequences when one does not. In the case of Syria it appears that the U.S. policy of not getting involved will probably result in a country that will be dominated and ruled by radical jihadists .... and what they may spawn I can only imagine.