The American people should be very uncomfortable and concerned about all the saber rattling that is taking place around the Syrian Civil War. Since the time of the crusades, our experience with intervention in the Arab world has been fraught with danger and disasters. While our hearts should be moved by the death and destruction of an entire country in a civil war, I am not sure that are weapons and resources should be moved at the same time.
No one is immune from witnessing the horror on the news of a country in its death throes. The number of 90,000 killed in the civil war is indeed horrifying. The pictures of devastated cities breaks one's spirit. However, unfortunately Syria is far from unique and such horrors exist around the world.
As we finally are out of Iraq and in the process of leaving Afghanistan, now is not the time to start new adventures without a healthy debate and asking important questions. Even if Senator McCain feels he is now an expert given his two day stay in the war torn nation is not reason enough to move without such debate.
Ask yourself if you know the answers to these questions:
1. What is the end game of our involvement in Syria?
2. If the use of chemical weapons that killed about 150 people of the 90,000 killed is the reason for America's involvement, then will our nation as a matter of U.S. policy intervene in any conflict where chemical weapons are used in an internal civil war?
3. What if Russia escalates its arms shipments will that require us to do more?
4. Who exactly are we supporting in Syria?
5. What religious group are we giving arms too and how do we prevent them from falling into the hands of Islamic militants?
6. What happens if some U.S. military personnel is attacked because of our involvement will that require us to escalate?
7. What exactly is our national interest in Syria?
8. Who is our choice to replace the dictator if he is overthrown? Do we care who it is?
9. Will the struggle for power between two major branches of the Islamic faith lead to a regional warfare including Turkey, Russia and the United States?
10. Why is Syria more important than the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria or any other country with civil unrest?
These are just ten questions and quite honestly, I could ask ten more. The United States should not be rushed into a conflict where simply we might have no business. This place is a power keg and we should not necessarily be the match.
Subscribe
