The world could take a deep breath Tuesday night as U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to postpone his request that Congress vote on a military strike against Syria. QUESTIONS were answered methodically. No U.S. troops will be sent overseas to Syria. This will not be a protracted campaign such as Iraq or Afghanistan. THE POSSIBILITY of Syria relinquishing its chemical stockpiles is encouraging, Obama said, but if the negotiations fall through, he might be before Congress again, or not.
In systematic fashion Obama defended his initial decision to deploy limited airborne strikes, sending a message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad the United States will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons.
Since the civil war in Syria began more than two years ago, the Obama administration has tried to peaceably intervene with diplomacy, sanctions, warnings and negotiations. But chemical weapons were still used by Assad on his people.
Allowing such acts to continue weakens the international ban on all weapons of mass destruction and works to embolden the likes of Assad.
“This is not a world we should accept,” Obama said. “This is what’s at stake,” saying terrorists like al-Qaida, “will only draw strength in a more chaotic Syria if people there see the world doing nothing to prevent innocent civilians from being gassed to death.”
The targeted airstrikes will not be “pinprick” attempts.
“Let me make something clear: The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks,” Obama said, with his voice showing clear irritation of the insult to U.S. military leaders.
It is not the goal or the desire to “remove” Assad from power, Obama said.
“We learned from Iraq (Saddam Hussein) that doing so makes us responsible for all that comes next.”
And no, the United States is not the world’s policeman. “But when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act,” the president said.
The vote was likely to fail. A majority of members of Congress were “still on the fence,” going up to Obama’s speech. Whether he brought them over to his side Tuesday night probably isn’t the point as much as whether their constituents were convinced. Politicians today vote with one finger held up to judge the prevailing winds of public opinion.
Russia, which supplies Assad with the bulk of its weaponry, and Syria are glued to the tube to see if Americans feel the same disgust as their president about the use of chemical warfare.
If the response is tepid, then Syria’s concession to yield the noxious stockpiles will probably go by the wayside. If the threat for military action is not credible, then Syria will feel no need to comply.
In that case, Obama must make it known he will have no alternative but to use his power as commander in chief to make the call for a military strike. As the president said, it’s only with a continued “threat of a threat,” that will force Assad to concede surrender.
This makes the case all the stronger that Congress cannot ignore its responsibility to lead. A vote should be scheduled to show the world at large the United States does not condone the use of chemical warfare.
And then pray the threat of retaliation is suffice.
— Susan Lynn
U.S. must keep pressure on Syria
