originally posted in:Sapphire
With President Obama saying that the usage of chemical weapons would cross a "red line", which would be met with severe consequences, it's time to nut up or shut up. I'm not talking about a full-scale military invasion, as I don't think that's fiscally possible right now (as for limited engagements, that could still potentially be on the table; however, that's a completely different thread), but I [b]am[/b] talking about doing [i]something[/i]. Be it arming secular groups, starting to overtly train rebels in Jordan and/or Turkey, or anything other than a full-scale invasion: something has to be done.
The reason being that, backing away from this bold threat makes us look weak in the eyes of Iran or North Korea, or non-state entities. Think about it: When we issue bold threats like this, the world, including our enemies, are watching to see what we do. If nothing happens, then it becomes an empty threat; similar to when parents warn a child not to do something, and then when they do it, the parents do nothing (kind of like what Jon Stewart said with the whole "You're grounded" thing). When it becomes an empty threat, how does that make us look to people who are on our shit list?
Essentially, Obama has backed himself into a corner here. If we do nothing, it makes us look weak; plus, since the situation in Syria becomes more complex by the day, doing something isn't as easy as it sounds. So, to say the least, it will be interesting to see how he handles this situation.
Opinions on this (possible) foreign policy mistake? Opinions on how the US and the international community is handling the Syrian conflict? Do you think we should do more? Less?
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Edited by Dustin: 5/6/2013 8:15:21 PMI remember seeing somewhere today that one of the rebel groups also used chemical weapons. If not said already, I think the Syrian War is a quintessential example of poor U.S. foreign policy. I say that because it certainly was known since the beginning that a sizable portion of the rebels fighting were allied with al-Qaeda. Not that I predicted how much of a shit fury the war would turn into either, but people have got to start doing their job.
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Based on my limited knowledge, I would say we should do more about the situation.
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Apparently the Obama administration is staying committed to the red line. Although, it really does not seem like Obama to put his foot down in an international crisis. Maybe this will finally be what gives him some backbone.