Yeah, I'm not sure why I'm dealing with it. Especially since I'm actually against intervention but apparently have been painted as a war-monger somehow.
I don't know why you're in there. I can't see why we don't discuss it here since it is a US political issue.
I don't know where I stand. The thing is people against intervention seem to not realize how much of a mess Syria is already. The worst case is here, its kinda hard for it to get worse.
It could be come a hotbed of terrorism? It isn't already?
It could engulf other countries? Did you miss the bombings in Lebanon?
People will die? Like they haven't or won't continue to?
We don't know who we're supporting? (I think this isn't as true as people claim but I'll still use it) And this changes by not intervening how?
The Military Industry Complex wants it? Yes because there hasn't be openings for us to get involved for the past two years?
Why would the 'winning side use horrible weapons'? Because they're not winning? Because they thought they wouldn't be caught?
Best to just forget and hym's drive-by lists of conspiracy links with no coherence.
I don't see anything that suggests this is anything more than what the Administration is saying it is. A signal to prove that when there is a norm against chemical weapons its serious and there are repercussions to it.
The only way I think it can get 'worse' is by not having a clear goal on what these strikes are for and where they stop. Right now I am a bit worried Obama doesn't know the answer to this so I can't be said to support the strikes. Its what mad iraq such a quagmire but libya work, we knew what the end goal was in libya. That's the clear argument against, but to be honest I think its more an argument for outlining a limited and firm goal than an argument against strikes. And the whole 'lets spend money on helping them, not bombing them"'forgets the fact that they're already being bombed and spending money on the Red Cross isn't going to stop that. Its a false choice, a red herring. The question is let them be bombed or bomb the people bombing them. Which saves more lives? Its a debatable question and I don't think everything is pointing to intervention being the best answer but lets get the question right at least.
And to PD who thinks Obama has changed on this, here's his Nobel Prize Speech:
We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.
For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.
I raise this point, I begin with this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter what the cause. And at times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the world's sole military superpower.
But the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions -- not just treaties and declarations -- that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: The United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest -- because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if others' children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.
To begin with, I believe that all nations -- strong and weak alike -- must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I -- like any head of state -- reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards, international standards, strengthens those who do, and isolates and weakens those who don't.
And this becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self-defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor. More and more, we all confront difficult questions about how to prevent the slaughter of civilians by their own government, or to stop a civil war whose violence and suffering can engulf an entire region.
I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That's why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace.
He's always been a proponent of interventionism on moral grounds. This was before libya too. And in his Iraq War speech he stated:
That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.
I do agree that the lack of an objective is worrying and I don't think obama needs to say we're threatened directly, because were not. Though we are threatened indirectly in a world were international norms can be tossed aside for political expedience