In two recent interviews, President Obama articulated in unprecedented depth why his administration has chosen to refrain from either directly arming rebel fighters in Syria or from any direct military action against the Assad regime.
“We do nobody a service when we leap before we look, where we…take on things without having thought through all the consequences of it,” Obama said in an interview with CBS.
“We are not going to be able to control every aspect of every transition and transformation” in conflicts around the world, he added.
“What I have to constantly wrestle with,” President Obama said in a separate interview with The New Republic, “is where and when can the United States intervene or act in ways that advance our national interest, advance our security, and speak to our highest ideals and sense of common humanity.”
“In a situation like Syria, I have to ask, can we make a difference in that situation? Would a military intervention have an impact? How would it affect our ability to support troops who are still in Afghanistan? What would be the aftermath of our involvement on the ground? Could it trigger even worse violence or the use of chemical weapons? What offers the best prospect of a stable post-Assad regime?”
The Obama administration has been heavily pressured by many interventionist groups and congressmen in Washington eager to get militarily involved in yet another Middle Eastern country. Most of these groups point to the heavy casualties of the Syrian civil war as an argument that the US must “do something,” about it.
But Obama noted that there are many areas of conflict and heavy casualties. “How do I weigh tens of thousands who’ve been killed in Syria,” he said, “versus the tens of thousands who are currently being killed in the Congo?”
While the Obama administration has called for Assad to step down and has sent some humanitarian and logistical aid to some rebel groups, it has stopped short of directly sending weapons or imposing a no fly zone, or invading to overthrow the Assad regime.
The truth is, Washington doesn’t perceive any viable plan for military action in Syria. Beyond the vastly increased destruction and humanitarian suffering it would cause, the Assad regime appears to be the only thing preventing jihadist terrorists from taking control of the country and perhaps the chemical weapons stockpiles.
Moreover, Obama appears reluctant to commit troops to another military intervention in the Middle East, after ten years of conventional military quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan.
After initially appearing enthusiastic about aiding Syrian rebels, the Obama administration eventually saw the extremist nature of the opposition and even designated one of the biggest rebel factions, Jabhat al-Nusra, as a terrorist organization.
Recent reports have established that Jabhat al-Nusra, and other al-Qaeda-linked jihadist factions like it, have become a key element in the Syrian opposition, despite repeated attempts by some in Washington to paint the rebels as freedom fighters.
In October, The New York Times published an article confirming that “Most of the arms shipped at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Qatar to supply Syrian rebel groups fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad are going to hard-line Islamic jihadists.”
The Obama administration has done little about this, and has even participated in facilitating the delivery of some of those weapons.
Still, US military officials have been quick to point out the costs of war in Syria and the White House has consistently said that direct military intervention “would lead to greater chaos, greater carnage.”
Glaser,
You still just don't "get it"…. Okay…
Can you just answer this following straightforward question:
If the US was not intimately/directly 'involved' in this Syria 'situation', why in blazes do these high level "negotiations" involving the US, Russia, and the 'UN-Arab League Envoy' Lakhdar Brahimi periodically take place and somehow end without a 'resolution'?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/syria-c…
How weapons and resources get from point A to point B is a shell-game.
If the US is not directly influencing what is happening on the ground (ie the terrorism and killing of the 'Syrian People'), why/what would Russia be "negotiating" with the US in the first place?
Let's see:
–The US demands that Assad "steps-down" as a precondition for further 'talks' to 'maybe' end the bloodbath in Syria…
–Russia insists no such precondition should exist (as that was never the 'agreement' in the first place)…
–Assad (not directly involved in these particular 'talks') insists the secession of violence in Syria be a 'precondition' to 'move forward'…
According to Glaser: the US has an 'opinion', but no "direct" 'involvement"–meaning: no ability to affect what is happening on the ground in Syria; however, these 'talks' somehow end without a 'resolution'?.?. What could the US possibly be 'refusing' to do if the US has no "direct" involvement/ability to affect and change the current 'situation' in the first place?
Assad's actual 'precondition' to 'move forward' is simply the secession of violence in Syria. Is the US refusing this 'precondition' of a secession of violence in Syria??? The only logical conclusion is: Yes.
Do you have another explanation Glaser?
The Obama Administration is not only complicit, but actually directing this entire thing…duh… Sure…it's true the
Glaser,
You still just don't "get it"…. Okay…
Can you just answer this following straightforward question:
If the US is not intimately/directly 'involved' in this Syria 'situation', why in blazes do these high level "negotiations" involving the US, Russia, and the 'UN-Arab League Envoy' Lakhdar Brahimi periodically take place and somehow end without a 'resolution'?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/syria-c…
How weapons and resources get from point A to point B is a shell-game.
If the US is not directly influencing what is happening on the ground (ie the terrorism and killing of the 'Syrian People'), why/what would Russia be "negotiating" with the US in the first place?
Let's see:
–The US demands that Assad "steps-down" as a precondition for further 'talks' to 'maybe' end the bloodbath in Syria…
–Russia insists no such precondition should exist (as that was never the 'agreement' in the first place)…
–Assad (not directly involved in these particular 'talks') insists the secession of violence in Syria be a 'precondition' to 'move forward'…
According to Glaser: the US has an 'opinion', but no "direct" 'involvement"–meaning: no ability to affect what is happening on the ground in Syria; however, these 'talks' somehow end without a 'resolution'?.?. What could the US possibly be 'refusing' to do if the US has no "direct" involvement/ability to affect and change the current 'situation' in the first place?
Assad's actual 'precondition' to 'move forward' is simply the secession of violence in Syria. Is the US refusing this 'precondition' of a secession of violence in Syria??? The only logical conclusion is: Yes.
Do you have another explanation Glaser?
The Obama Administration is not only complicit, but actually directing this entire thing…duh… Sure…it's true the
Glaser,
You still just don't "get it"…. Okay…
Can you just answer this following straightforward question:
If the US is not "directly" 'involved' in this Syria 'situation', why in blazes do these "negotiations" between the US, Russia, and the 'UN-Arab League Envoy' Lakhdar Brahimi periodically take place and somehow end without a 'resolution'?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/syria-c…
How weapons and resources get from point A to point B is a shell-game.
If the US is not directly influencing what is happening on the ground (ie the terrorism and killing of the 'Syrian People'), why/what would Russia be "negotiating" with the US in the first place?
Let's see:
–The US demands that Assad "steps-down" as a precondition for further 'talks' to 'maybe' end the bloodbath in Syria…
–Russia insists no such precondition should exist (as that was never the 'agreement' in the first place)…
–Assad (not directly involved in these particular 'talks') insists the cessation of violence in Syria be a 'precondition' to 'move forward'…
According to Glaser: the US has an 'opinion', but no "direct" 'involvement"–meaning: no ability to affect what is happening on the ground in Syria; however, these 'talks' somehow end without a 'resolution'?.?. What could the US possibly be 'refusing' to do if the US has no "direct" involvement and ability to affect/change the current 'situation' in the first place?
Assad's actual 'precondition' to 'move forward' is simply the cessation of violence in Syria. Is the US refusing this 'precondition' of a cessation of violence in Syria??? The only logical conclusion is: Yes.
Do you have another explanation Glaser?
The Obama Administration is not only complicit, but actually directing this entire thing…duh… Sure, the US does not 'control every aspect' of what is happening, but the US could at least shut down it's direct involvement and explicit encouragement of the continuing violence–which would effectively end it for all intents and purposes.
Pretending there is no 'involvement' in the first place is what Obama wants…again, this is part of a game on top of a game…
Glaser,
You still just don't "get it"…. Okay…
Can you just answer this following straightforward question:
If the US is not "directly" 'involved' in this Syria 'situation', why in blazes do these "negotiations" between the US, Russia, and the 'UN-Arab League Envoy' Lakhdar Brahimi periodically take place and somehow end without a 'resolution'?
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/syria-c…
How weapons and resources get from point A to point B is a shell-game.
If the US is not directly influencing what is happening on the ground (ie the terrorism and killing of the 'Syrian People'), why/what would Russia be "negotiating" with the US in the first place?
Let's see:
–The US demands that Assad "steps-down" as a precondition for further 'talks' to 'maybe' end the bloodbath in Syria…
–Russia insists no such precondition should exist (as that was never the 'agreement' in the first place)…
–Assad (not directly involved in these particular 'talks') insists the cessation of violence in Syria be a 'precondition' to 'move forward'…
According to Glaser: the US has an 'opinion', but no "direct" 'involvement"–meaning: no ability to affect what is happening on the ground in Syria; however, these 'talks' somehow end without a 'resolution'?.?. What could the US possibly be 'refusing' to do if the US has no "direct" involvement and ability to affect/change the current 'situation' in the first place?
Assad's actual 'precondition' to 'move forward' is simply the cessation of violence in Syria. Is the US refusing this 'precondition' of a cessation of violence in Syria??? The only logical conclusion is: Yes.
Do you have another explanation Glaser?
The Obama Administration is not only complicit, but actually directing this entire thing…duh… Sure, the US does not 'control every aspect' of what is happening, but the US could at least shut down it's direct involvement and explicit encouragement of the continuing violence–which would effectively end it for all intents and purposes.
Pretending there is no 'involvement' in the first place is what Obama wants…this is a game on top of games…
Mr.Glaser is not stupid. He has the task not "to get it": And much more: I subsume his task is a very sophisticated one: Cheating the U.S. antiwar movement on the so-called antiwar website. And he does his job excellently.
He consequently ignores information you, me and many others have sent to him. I already stopped sending links to interesting articles (see in contact menu), because any single submission has been ignored or better: censored.
He always will repeat the wrong information which belongs to the mainstream lies and he will always neglect information which does not fit in his ideology or story he and US media builds up about Syria.
I guess antiwar subsumes many will read only the start page with the head lines (this is already an excellent manipulation), often the article headlines are already different or the article its self – mostly at the end where many do not read – contradicts his headline. Even I did comment at least two cases of such article – headline contradictions.
But actually this is standard journalist education today and you will find such things every where.
No, Glaser doesn't get it. He drinks the same Obama Kool-Aid that every single other wannabe "pundit", left and right, does.
It's hopeless to tell these people that there is a PLAN for a war with Iran which REQUIRES that Syria and Hizballah in Lebanon be degraded to the point where they can not be effective actors in that war.
It should be obvious to anyone with a brain that the US could shut down the insurgency quickly by simply forcing Saudi Arabia and Qatar to cease supporting the insurgents. They could have done this six months or more ago. They could have removed the requirement for negotiations that Assad step down. They could have forced Turkey to shut down the insurgent camps and intern the insurgents on Turkish soil.
Anyone who doesn't understand this stuff shouldn't be commenting on it.
Obama WILL attack Syria this year. HOW he will start it is not clear, but there are plenty of options, including Israel attacking Syria under the pretext of preventing Hizballah from getting chemical weapons (which is complete bullcrap but the morons in the US will buy anything as long as Obama says it.)
Richard, the US cannot "force" Saudi Arabia and Qatar to stop funding the insurgency, any more than they can "force" those countries to democratize. Likewise, the US cannot "force" Turkey to do anything. That's not how it works in international politics.
Obama is reacting to events as they unfold, he is not shaping them at all. He may think it is a good idea for Assad to step down, and he may also think it is a bad idea to arm the rebels or invade Syria, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive….
You don't know SAUDI ARABIA, AND QATTAR ARE US PUPPETS?
They don't act indepent of US policy agenda in the region.
Turkey is US trojan horse and a zionist and imperialist SERVANT. Turkey was working with Qaddafi and Assad until Erdugan, the stooge, was ordered by the first black president to stop his cooperation and turns enemy against Gaddafi and Assad and tell them "to step down". The person who should STEP DOWN is Obama, an assassin and a war criminal, not Assad with 60 percent popularity. He may fool the "people of color" and phony progressives like Michael Moore, but cannot fool us.
Obama and his Predecessors and men behind actually belong to the electrical chair for what they have done already in Syria !!
USA did plan this war, creating islamist extremists by islam schools (USA paid the extremist books), organizing recruitment of Islamist extremist fighters from any arab country (and with help of other NATO countries even islamists of arab origin from NATO countries, letting them pay and arm by Saudis/QatarTurkey, sending them "non-leathal communication equipment" i.e. satellite phones and command & control military laptops to sent them satellite or drone images, for tactical re-treatments or attacks when the army comes or leaves or is not (sufficiently) present.
Proof:
http://08oo.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/key-reasons-…
Do you guys know how the world works Ben C and 0800? Seriously? The US is not all powerful nor can it even peripherally dictate events on the ground in Syria or in any other country for that matter. There isn't a conspiracy here, if Obama really wanted Assad to go then the US would really get involved and force his removal.
Obama may personally desire Assad to go but the President is hesitant to intervene for a number of reasons:
1. The rebels haven't turned out to be freedom loving Jeffersonians and fear that more of the same: genocide, war, oppression, etc. will occur even after Assad is gone.
2. The American people are reluctant to continue getting involved in yet another war in the Middle East (or anywhere else) . While Obama doesn't have to face the voters again he is conscience of the need for political capital in his second term and it seems he needs voter goodwill for other domestic concerns: gun control, budget, etc. rather than support for another war. Also his legacy is on the line and he would rather be known as a president who ended wars rather than one who started them.
3. Obama, despite some of the more militant antiwar commentators' assertions, is not a warmonger. There is a huge difference between him and Bush jr. or sr. He is more naturally sympathetic to peace than war. He may want Assad to go but he won't use force to facilitate his demise. Sanctions or diplomatic pressure (what little the US has) may be used but that most likely will be the extent of it. Remember the US does have to keep its allies in the region at least nominally happy: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar without them becoming more deeply involved in Syria.
Syria will play out and Assad may or may not fall but it seems more and more apparent that Obama isn't committing the US to the outcome.
But you do you know how the world works, right James? The US is powerful, still, but not as powerful as it used to be under Bush the fool. The US does want Assad to go but there happens to be other factors that prevent the US from getting "more involved". One is the fact that it is quickly losing its criminal drive because it's entangled in several wars (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Mali, etc.) plus Libya and its monumental failure in Iraq. Even being a hyperpower has limits. Another factor is Russia and China siding with Syria. It seems both powers have drawn a red line and they don't want to play the role of fools (Libya) anymore. You seem to be more than generous with Obama. I suppose the perspective form your side of the world is really different from the rest of us. I don't know if he's more "naturally sympathetic" to peace (your comment reminds me of Bush's comment having “looked into Putin’s eyes” and “got a sense of his soul”, declaring that Russia’s leader could be trusted.) Well, Obama is a butcherer who has breakfast over toasted children and lunches on civilians barbecue. If the US doesn't do more is not because of Obama's or the American elites' kind hearts but because, as you yourself have recognized, the US is near the cliff in every sense of the word. Besides, having such obliging lackeys as France, the UK, Turkey. Saudi Arabia and all the others, why should Amerika exert itself more?
I know a bit about how the world works yeah. I've traveled and living abroad for almost half my life. I live in occupied territory right now, not to mention I have postgraduate education and peer reviewed publications. What I know is the world is not black and white and doesn't fit into neat little conspiracy theories. Syria is a complicated issue and the US does not have a clear policy because there is no outcome that can really benefit the US, and some outcomes that could be worse. So Obama is keeping the US out of it for now.
Speaking of Obama (and note that paragraph breaks are really helpful to use) I am generous with him because I see in him a president at least somewhat uncomfortable with the use of force abroad. It could be much worse..
Most of the people who post their opinions here have also traveled to more than one country. I did my Political Science degree abroad too, and my thesis was an analysis of the SALT II. Evidently the world is not black and white as some would want us to believe when they frighten their citizenry with nuclear clouds or a world caliphate. You think Obama is uncomfortable with using US force abroad? Again, perceptions differ depending on several variables. But let's remember he's the man who wanted to remain in Iraq despite the SOFA and tried hard to the last minute to change the agreement terms. He's the man who did the surges in Afghanistan bringing more death and suffering to the people there. He's the man who has increased drone activity -such cowardly method of waging war- in Pakistan, Yemen, etc. Uncomfortable you said? Regarding breaking paragraphs, this is not an essay. Having studied education, I am sure you know you can very well write a single paragraph with an introduction, body and conclusion.
I think he is uncomfortable yes, more uncomfortable than any President since Carter. He didn't try that hard to keep US troops in Iraq, there were many pressure points he could have used on Maliki but he didn't. Last I checked he is also agreeing to draw down forces in Okinawa, and Afghanistan.
Sure he did "surge" in Afghanistan and he does use drones (though drones are preferable to out and out invasions). I never said he was Gandhi, but given the militant nature of the last several Presidents the US has had it is a refreshing change.
Oh, and you missed my point entirely about paragraph breaks…it makes your comments easier to read. Just friendly advice. Finally, I didn't study education, I studied political science and history, though anyone can make claims on the Internet.
Well James, I assume you are one who believes the NATO Patriot Missile batteries recently deployed to Turkey are there to "protect Turkey" from a Syrian invasion…
Anyway…this video was uploaded to the White House web-site today:
http://youtu.be/R13nIfQ_XAQ
Mr. Obama makes it clear that he's convinced and adamant the 'Assad regime' absolutely "Will" fall (soon). Based on the context of what was said, he even seems to 'promise' the "Syrian People" this "Will" happen. I'm not quite sure what this idiot has planned; however, I'm fairly certain he knows by now the so-called "Syrian Rebels" cannot accomplish this on their own…
What he wants to happen and what will happen are not always the same thing. If Obama truly wants Assad gone and wanted to make it a matter of US policy then Assad would have been ousted long ago.
Obama may desire China to be free of the CCP and Russia to be Putin-free, not to mention wanting N. Korea to democratize, but wishing something to happen is completely different from actualizing it. Oh, and if you really think Patriot missiles can tip the balance against Assad then you don't know much about their efficacy.
{He may want Assad to go but he won't use force to facilitate his demise.!!!!!!!!}
You are a gullible person. Obama's style may be different, but the policy is the same. Do you really believe that he is not interested in waging war against Iran? I must tell the gullible people he has already started the war on Iranian people.
OBAMA, the first black president is worse than Bush. Bush was an "independent" person waging his stupid wars, but Obama follows the ORDER, he as a first black president has LESS levarage with his SUPERIORS, and mostly acts like a petty man desprate to stay in the WHITE HOUSE to please the "african-americans" who are interested to have a BLACK FACE at the WH. The same is true with phony progressives from the democratic party. His superiors selected him for his blackness not his leadership because he has NONE, so he cankill Africans and non-white for WHITE agenda. He follows the ORDER.
Obama yammers about how getting involved in Syria could cause worse "violence"! Is this guy on crack or what? He's fully engaged in screwing those folks just like Libyans, Afghans, Iraqis etc. This is some sort of a sick joke.
The western militarism regimes still don't know what they are doing.., but one thing.., to create cause for their idea where they can invade the country of interests later in time. Iraq was under sanctions for 14 years.., while the UN employees.., the big bosses were stealing Iraqis people wealth and later the Halliburton and others were involved double and triple charging the US taxpayers.., US is not going to commit itself directly.., that is to say militarily being involved in Syria.., Obama policy is as Clinton policy regarding Iraq, the English the french and others are wait and see.., yet being engaged supporting the war mongers on the ground and those which the western regime sees fit as the "representative" of the Syrian people.., nonetheless, they are very well aware that their choice is not and never will represent the majority of the Syrian people, yet the will continue with their moral, economic and logistic support to these Saudis illegitimate sons of barbarians for this war to continue.., meanwhile Obama didn't become the US president to fight the Saudis wars.., although his supporting it.., but he become the president to engage the US in Africa starting a new "frontier" sharing the (economical) outcome with French.., although such adventure might sound as a "socialistic" cooperation between vulture capitalism and the French "social" democrats but by the end of the day this is the way that vulture capitalism always has been cooperating.., stealing peoples wealth no matter how or who the system is cooperating with in Africa.., living the people of Africa with nothing.., as French have done so for many years, so as the English and rest of the Western "democracy".
The Saudis bandits in Syria and what is called "Syrian representatives" or if you will "opposition" don't have, never had and never will have the vote of the majority of the Syrian people.., that is why they continue with their stupidity and west is just around the corner waiting for the out come of theses people stupidity.., so wait and see is the name of the game.., but invasion of Africa is the real thing and thus far that is what is happening.., so wait and see.., you are going to be fooled for the third time and things get worse then what they are in 2013.
If US government does not have anything to do with what is happening in Syria why after declaring Jabhat al-Nusra a terrorist organization US armed drones are not flying over their heads killing their leaders as any other so called terrorist organization around the Middle East is treated? Is it because they are actually OUR terrorists (for now) since they are helping US to achieve their ultimate goal in Syria – regime change? I, personally think so! If Assad fails tomorrow, I bet we could see US armed drones flying over Jabhat al-Nusra and killing the terrorists. next week.