EDITORIAL
Cynics will tell you that Obama's only reason for going into Syria would be to make himself look good after having made the "red line" speech. Haters will tell you that Obama wants to do everything possible to collapse the US economy and another war is a quick way to do that. But what is the Syria issue really about?
First, when you hear the word Syria, think Iran. Assad is the bait Iran has laid in the Middle East to entice us into armed conflict. The goal is a war in which Iran can excuse its planned attack on Israel and other interests in the region of importance to the United States.
Second, much of the Middle East is aligned with our interests. Despite the homegrown terrorism of Osama Bin Laden, we are still very entangled with Saudi Arabia. We have friends in Turkey and Jordan. Iran is the bully thug of the region and the more stable governments would like nothing more than to see the Iranian's brought to heel. While our friends don't want war to disrupt their comfy lives, they would welcome somebody putting a boot on Iran's throat and Syria is as close as it gets.
Third, with Iraq and Afghanistan winding down buhzillionaires who you never hear about are facing loss of revenue from sales of everything from food, fuel, and clothing to weapons, machinery and vehicles. They have a very well funded lobby in Washington that is charged with the duty to see that government contracts for their goods continue to get signed. In otherwords, forces behind the scenes at home are pushing war.
Fourth, Obama has a political game to play. And a show of military strength has always helped give presidents more political capital. By putting the GOP right smack dab in the middle of the debate whether to take action or not, Obama can score points, divide his opponents and create political chaos.
Fifth, what's at stake is the world's view of America's tolerance of dangerous activities like using chemical weapons, amassing nuclear weapons, threatening global terrorism and Islamic Jihad. Iran is creating a recruiting and training station for these activities and has virtually declared war on the rest of the world. Many countries are worried what might come to them out of Iran. The United States is viewed as the least tolerant of terrorism having 9-11 as a reason to have declared war on it. The world is looking to see if the USA blinks on this one.
And next, there is of course the issue of human rights for which the USA still stands as a beacon of hope. Do we have credibility, or do we engage in selective enforcement of human rights only when it serves our needs. No, we are not the world's policemen, but we are the world's savior as our fathers proved near the middle of the last century.
What's the Syria issue really all about? These things and any other sales pitch for one viewpoint or the other which will be trotted out as America debates what we stand for, what we stand against and who stands with who.
Comments