Clinton: No US Attack on Syria for Now

Says Syrian 'Police Actions' Haven't Sparked Global Condemnation Yet

Speaking Sunday on CBS’ Face the Nation, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted the US was not yet considering a Libya-style military attack on Syria, saying that the situation was different primarily because Syrian President Bashar Assad hadn’t yet used air strikes on protesters.

“Each of these situations is unique,” Clinton insisted, adding that the “police action” in Syria had also not spawned the same sort of condemnation by the international community. She said such an attack would only come if the US had “considerable international support” and a UN Security Council resolution approving the attack.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I – CT) claimed that the US attack on Libya earlier this month set a “precedent” for a similar attack on Syria. French President Nicolas Sarkozy likewise suggested last week that Libya could be a model for comparable attacks across the world.

The Obama Administration’s attack on Libya has already raised concerns about double standards, compared with the ambivalent reaction to crackdowns in Bahrain and Yemen. Skipping over the violence in Bahrain and Yemen, while starting yet another war in Syria, would undoubtedly put them in an even more uncomfortable position.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.