"No one disputes that chemical weapons were used in Syria. The world saw thousands of videos, cellphone pictures and social media accounts of the attack," Obama said. "If we fail to act the Assad regime will see no reason to stop using chemical weapons. As the band against these weapons erodes, other tyrants will have no reason to think twice about acquiring poison gas and using them."
This is the same domino effect excuse that governed the US in the early 1950s. The belief that communism would spread to neighboring countries of communist states unless someone stepped in to stop it. The united States Government used this theory to support the unpopular Vietnam War from 1954-75. The use of force had no effect and the communist victory in Vietnam did not increase the spread of communism.
How did this Syrian problem start? When Hafez Assad died in 2000, his son, Bashar Assad had to take control. Bashar had been studying in London to become a doctor but when his brother, who was brought up to rule after his father, died in a car accident, Bashar was next in line to succeed his father. The Syrian people believed that Bashar would bring change but he continued the oppressive rule of his father.
With the Libyan protests and revolutionary ideals spreading to other surrounding countries and Syria in 2011 Assad reacted with military force starting a civil war. The US closed the embassy in Damascus. Initially Obama was opposed to military action but with the recent use of chemical weapons Obama sees it as our duty to humanity to make the violence stop.
Many American people are not willing to support a Syrian conflict at the whim of the President and seek a more democratic process in dealing with chemical weapons in Syria.
Tewe Burri expressed his concern with the judgement by Obama in a comment on the article by the Los Angeles Times "Obama's Syria strategy: Deft improvisation or impulsive risk taking?", writing,"Compulsive risk taking, wars, military strikes and invasions into other countries, shouldn't be executed at the whim of Obama's order, and shouldn't be rushed. ...Have majority public approval, preferably 75%public approval by official vote by mail, ballet(similar to referendum), or petition, before military can be deployed in, or strike, other countries."
Currently the US government is working with Russia who has an arms trade agreement with Assad to find a solution to remove the chemical weapons from Syria. Syrian President Bashar Assad said that he would hand over his chemical weapons because of the initiative by the Russians on this matter.
According to the proposal by the Russians, Syria would join the international Chemical weapons Convention and then turn over all information on its chemical weapons programs.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is set to meet with the Russian Secretary of State late Thursday in Geneva to discuss this further.
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