Obama Sends Mixed Signals on Eve of Syria War

Some Officials Say Obama Hasn't Decided on War

With indications that the first US strikes on Syria could happen in a matter of hours, the Obama Administration is having a hard time staying on-message, and some officials are still claiming Obama “has not made a decision” on attacking the nation.

Throughout the entire process of pushing for war, claims that a final decision hadn’t been made cropped up from time to time, but doesn’t make a lot of sense at this point, days after the warships have already been deployed, and as other officials are openly telling the press that the US has “passed the point of no return.”

This can be a common problem when the official PR campaign has nothing to do with the actual policy, and is cropping up in several places along the Syria war narrative.

Even as the administration can’t officially decide whether or not the decision has been made, they’re also sending mixed signals on the prospect of attacking without international support, with one top official saying that the US had “ruled out” unilateral action and would only go to war with international partners, and others saying they had indicated they were “willing to go it alone.”

While all of this paints a confusing picture, the administration’s actions point to the attack still being imminent, and to any war, even with only nominal acquiescence from a handful of nations being presented as involving “partners.”

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.