Even as U.S. officials criticize direct military action in Syria as unworkable, the Obama administration continues to make clear that the military option is being considered and plans drawn up.
“As you know, my job is to provide the commander-in-chief with options,” said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “I think the military option should be considered.”
Actions under discussion include sending in ground troops with the stated mission of safeguarding Syria’s weapons and providing humanitarian assistance. But the imposition of U.S. soldiers would undoubtedly tear the country into all out war and probably end in regime change directed by Washington.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said that further “massacres” like was seen in Houla last week “could plunge Syria into catastrophic civil war.” What kind of action world powers would justify at that undefined point is unclear.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also warned of civil war, but blamed Russia for contributing to that potential. This, even as the U.S. continues to aid and arm the rebel militias who themselves say they are preparing for war. Many of them are fighting with the explicit intention of provoking an international or U.S.-led action to depose the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Rep. Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the U.S. can aid the rebels to bring about regime change. “There are certain things and capabilities that the United States has that can, in conjunction with our Arab League partners, could provide a tipping point so it would provide certain capabilities to units that we know who are trying to overthrow the Assad regime that we can vet, that we can test, that we can understand who completely that they are,” he said Wednesday.
But no amount of aid to the Syrian insurgents could put them on a par with the military capabilities of the Assad regime. Backed by Russia, Assad’s powerful and well-equipped security forces would likely react to more aggressive arming of the rebels by cracking down even harder, justifying further brutality by pointing to foreign intervention.
The White House said on Tuesday it opposes military intervention in Syria. “We do not believe that militarization, further militarization of the situation in Syria at this point is the right course of action,” Obama spokesman Jay Carney said. “We believe that it would lead to greater chaos, greater carnage.”
Unfortunately, U.S. policy of aiding the rebel militias – just like Russia’s policy of aiding the Assad regime – is emboldening one side in a civil conflict. Prolonging this conflict in this way may lead to a worsening situation on the ground, at which point direct military action might be easier to justify rhetorically.
This women will blame anything and everything to say that she was right when she did the betting on regime change-regimefall in Syria with the help from her masters from Saudi Arabia, NATO, UAE and all those terrorists that are helped by her department and others.
Look, Iran is to big for these falsified democracy to mess with, so they are after Syrian government.
By now all the evidence points at the facts that US and EU had a plan for regime change starting with Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq and eventually Pakistan where this plan is from the father of all US Zionism Paul Wolfowitz presented to Bill Clinton in 1990, this Obama administration simply follows the militaristic path and Hillary Clinton job is to help out using anything and everything in her disposal even if they are terrorists from Afghanistan and Libya paid by Saudis Wahabbis and UAE.
The US marines – fleet stationed in Italy are ready to invade Lebanon so as Israel if the situation in Lebanon get worse then it is, they wanted to do so in 2006 when Israel started the war in Lebanon.
Look people, senators and those who are against wars, this is an all out war planed and orchestrated by US and EU militarism regimes since 1990s, this is not about democracy nor Barack Hussein Obama is socialist, far from it, nor it’s people wars for freedom, this is wall street, WH and Buckingham place wars, this war and its main object is to divide people using religion gaining momentum for vulture capitalism undemocratic and brutal economic system, this is their war, this is Zionism war hand in hand with neo fascism conducted by US and NATO militarism regime.
Which "woman" are you referring to? John Glaser?
And "Buckingham place"? Really?
All your points are idiotic in view of the mass murder being committed by the Assad regime. This has nothing to do with Zionism and for cowards to hide behind this charge is old tired news. Murder is murder no matter who commits it and the Syrian people have a right to a free democratic country and government. The Assads must go just as the Mubaraks had to go ( since Hosni had his son in line for another 30 year "Presidency."
Cowards – and Justin Raimondo – can find any excuse to do nothing to save lives…
And you are from which Dept of AIPAC….? Assad mass murder…,? the question is not Assad the Question is that you don't know Shiiiiitttttteeeee about Assad and what his family have done for Syria, you don't know that entire EU countries including England were after to colonize Syria and Syrian people were suffering from one Cop de eta to another for years, you don't know shiiiiiitttttteeee about Syria and Syrian government and what they have done for Lebanon and Lebanese people, the peace that you see in Lebanon, is because of the Syrian government when they become involved, it was not Hillary Clinton nor the US democratic party or Ronald the McDonald or the Buckingham Palace and people like you who brought the peace to Lebanon, which people like you trying to destroy, read the history, educate yourself, I am sure you be able to think then.
The US retains plans for military actions against every nation of the world save one. I'll let you guess which one that is.
Honduras?
US retains plans for military action in Syria? Oh, really? When exactly did they abandon them? Inquiring minds wanna know.
If the report by Marat Musin of the Abkhazian Network News Agency is to be believed then the US needs to tear up its existing plans and develop new ones to liquidate the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood PDFQ!
http://anna-news.info/node/6312 (OK, it is in Russian but Google Translate works fairly well)
BTW, given the way that western newspapers of record are reporting on Syria, I have no problem in accepting ANNA as truthful – it can be no worse than the Guardian, New York Times or Washington Post!
“…our Arab League partners…”
Well, thank you. Finally a US official has admitted that we are partners with the most despotic, anti-democratic regimes in the world. I have one very urgent advice for you: Please save your military intervention and try to bring freedom and democracy plus regime change to your partners first, unless you are a terrorist country ruled by psychopathic liars that want to bring death and destruction in the cloak of humanitarian assistance as in Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
You idiots have messed up the good name of this nation like no enemy has ever done before.
The US cannot engage in military intervention in Syria for several reasons, one of which is that the world knows our real intention.
Dissonant reports continue to raise questions about the Houlah massacre at the root of the 'free world's' current level of indignation about Syria. At least three on-the -scene reports are now accusing 'NATO Death squads' ie armed resistance fighters for the massacre that didn't target Sunnis, but rather Armenian Christians and other government supporters living in the town.
At the same time the US has a massive military exercise 'Eager Lion' going on in Jordan. This includes significant numbers of 'anti-terrorist' forces from the US and Nato countries.
As ever the US inspired 'one-size-fits-some' prescription, 'regime change', is the sole acceptable solution. And if that take another little war …… welll.
What I do not see being reported is the fact that the US put serious sanctions on Iran and if you look at the fact that at the present the dow average is below the level when the year started.
When are the people going to understand that sanctions hurt all not just some magic that we try to hurt Iran but we do not suffer. We still have the sanctions on Iraq which is amazing consider we killed such a large percentage of the Iraq people. What would it take to let them recover? Oh I am sorry I forgot if Iraq recovers then Israel economy will decline. That is not going to be allowed by the zionist.
We are broke and we sure are in deep trouble. Maybe it is time to question if we really need the war mongers. They have has such control since the clown bush was made president by the supreme court. Maybe it is time we do something to stop the insanity. Give peace and chance and at least demand that Israel provide some man power to any military action. We gave Israel very good aircraft let the Israel pilots the chance to become heroes. It has to be a fright to only bomb old woman and children.