10 Questions regarding Syria

Tuesday, September 3, 2013 The following are some questions I hope congressional leaders ask the Obama administration regarding Syria:  1. Wait--why is this a good idea again?     This question always seems worth asking, especially when someone is     trying to convince you that we suddenly need to go to war.  2. What, if any, idea do you have regarding how you want Syria to       look when this conflict is over?       If the Assad regime falls, there is potential for Syria breaking apart.        Does the Obama administration view the current borders of Syria as         sacred? What about the Kurdish region of northern Syria? 3.  Who, among the currently recognized factions, are you backing?        This question and the previous one refer to the fact that a lot of the        rebels in Syria don't seem to consider themselves allies of the United        States. Is there a side among the warring parties that the Obama        administration has identified as a potential partner? If so, who? 4. Why so fast?         The Obama administration went from keeping Syria on the          back-burner to threatening an act of war in the span of just a few         days. The vast majority of Americans know absolutely nothing or         next to nothing about this country and why we are getting         involved. This seems like a problem.     5. Where have you been all this time?          It seems problematic to me that a country that has not played a          very active international role in peace efforts should suddenly          become involved in this way. If, for example, Obama had been          leading peace efforts regarding Syria over the past few years,          perhaps he would have more credibility now. After ignoring the war          for most of the last two years, however, what right does the          United States have to suddenly start lobbing missiles?        6. How does bombing help?           Are we just trying to send a message? Does the Obama           administration think American interests are better served by           removing the Assad regime? If so, what do they propose to replace             this regime with and how does bombing Syria help to make that           happen? 7. What do people in Lebanon and Iraq think?           Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I remember how long the wars           in Lebanon dragged on. What do people in Lebanon think of all of           this taking place on their doorstep? There must be real concern in           that country of the possibility of the war spreading. I wonder what           attitudes are in Lebanon, as well as in Iraq, regarding what course           of action would best be taken to avoid the spread of the war to           neighboring countries. 8. Why can't we use this issue as an opportunity to engage Russia and      Iran?           Post-Snowden it is probably unrealistic to think that the US would           show any interest in engaging Russia. Nevertheless, it's a lost           opportunity. The US has no real interest in Syria, nor does the           Obama administration seem to have identified an ally or partner           among the warring sides. Russia and Iran do have a vested interest           in keeping Assad afloat--for both countries, Syria is one of their few           friends in the region. If the Obama administration is interested in           brokering a cease-fire, Russia and Iran would be on board because           they are looking to buy time for Assad. If the goal of the United           States is regime change, then we're back to the questions regarding           what to replace Assad with and whether or not bombing will help           facilitate that change.     9. Where's Dennis Rodman in all of this?            In North Korea, of course, where he's undertaking another            'basketball diplomacy' mission. This means that Obama is on his            own on this one, unless the President can convince another Detroit            Piston legend to step up to the plate and take on Syria. A frightened world's eyes look to you, Rasheed               10. Which model to point to?            Everyone has their model here. Supporters of intervention point            to Libya, as well as to Clinton's bombing campaigns in favor of the            Bosnian Muslims and Kosovars in the late 1990s. In both of those            cases, however, there were clearly identified parties that the US            supported and wanted to see come to power.            In Syria, by contrast, the Obama administration knows who they              want to get rid of  (Assad), but there doesn't seem to be much of an            idea about what is supposed to happen next. Shoot first and ask            questions later, in other words.  I hope this works out for the best, mainly for people living in Syria. I can't, however,  say that I'm very optimistic about things right now.  *** More links and commentary can be found in the Borderlands Lounge.