Obama Silences Syrian War Drums

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright June 1, 2012
All Rights Reserved.                                         

             Speaking at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, President Barack Obama told veterans that the nation could see “the light of day” when it comes to returning soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan.  “After a decade under the dark cloud of war, we can see the light of day on the horizon,” said Obama, ignoring calls by his critics to open up a new front in Syria.  Whatever the atrocities in Syria, Obama reminded his audience that this Memorial Day was the first one in nine years in which U.S. troops were not dying in Iraq.  After laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Obama reflected on the decision to send U.S. troops into harm’s way.  “As commander-in-chief, I can tell you that sending our troops into harm’s way is the most wrenching decision that I have to make,” said Barack, resisting calls by his former rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to intervene in Syria.

             Syria’s problems stemmed from the Arab Spring last year when Tunisia’s  revolution went viral in Egypt, Libya and now Syria.  When Tunisian dictator Zin El-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled Jan. 14, 2011, it didn’t take long for revolutionary fever to spread to neighboring Egypt, ending the 30-year-reign of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Feb. 11, 2011.  It didn’t take long with U.S. and U.N. help for 69-year-old Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to be driven from Tripoli Aug. 24, 2011 and eventually killed by Libyan rebels Oct. 20, 2011.  Now it’s Syria’s 46-year-old Bashar al-Assad’s turn to face the music as an uprising threatens to end his nearly 12-year reign of power.  Defending his country since Jan. 26, 2011 against unknown rebels, Assad’s regime has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians, despite peace efforts by the U.N. and Arab League.

               Violence in Syria has escalated in recent days to the point that even Syria’s close allies Russia and China have begun to go along with U.N. sanctions.  U.N. peace envoy Kofi Annan called the massacre at Houla “an appalling crime,” urging Assad to take peace efforts seriously.  When the U.N. reported some 108 civilians, at least a third women and children, were massacred May 26, the world community lost patience with Assad.  Now Russia and China signed on to a binding U.N. resolution condemning the use of heavy artillery on civilian targets.  Assad’s military faces the difficult task of targeting rebels that hide and launch attacks from civilian neighborhoods.  Assad faces the same problem as Israel in 2006 when it couldn’t surgically hit Hezbollah deeply imbedded in Lebanon’s population centers, ending attempts, once and for all, to neutralize a bitter enemy.

             Assad can’t stop a growing uprising as long as it fights inside Syria’s population centers.  Without independent confirmation, rebels paint a picture of heavy Syrian shelling causing widespread casualties.  It’s difficult to ascertain the nature of the Syrian revolt, in terms of which groups drive the violence.  Assad has insisted that the violence stems from Sunni groups seeking to topple his small Alawite Shiite minority.  Before hawks in the U.S. Congress—including McCain—spill more American blood, they’d better have a clear sense of what regime replaces the Assad government.  “The six-point plan has to be implemented comprehensively, and this is not happening,” said Annan, expecting to meet Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem today and Assad tomorrow.  U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon asked that all sides cease-and-desist from the violence.

             While it’s tempting to blame only Assad, the U.S. and U.N. must forcefully call on rebels to hold fire on Syrian forces.  Ban called on both sides to “fundamentally change course and chose diplomacy over guns to ensure that the legitimate aspirations for freedom, dignity and prosperity of the Syrian people are met.”  If lawlessness, insurrection and anarchy continue to attack the sovereign government, what’s Assad’s recourse other than to defend his regime?  If there’s a Sunni uprising that seeks to topple Assad’s Alawite regime, then it’s not for the U.S. or U.N. to call the shots, other than deplore violence against civilians.  U.S. officials have found out the hard way in Iraq and Afghanistan what it’s like to intervene in civil wars.  No matter how much the U.S. or U.N. deplores civilian violence, warring factions must come to the table and work out an acceptable solution.

             Before the U.S. gets dragged into another civil war, the Syrians with U.N. help need to find ways to end the violence.  Russia, which holds a Navy base at Tartous, expects both sides in the conflict to take responsibility.  “We are dealing with a situation in which both sides evidently had a hand in the deaths of innocent people,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.  Russia sees the U.S. as meddling in Syria’s sovereignty by lending legitimacy to Syrian rebels.  “And the United States will work with the international community to intensify our pressure on Assad and his cronies, whose rule by murder and fear must come to an end,” said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, urging tougher action.  Obama made it clear today at Arlington that the U.S. will not call on troops to make the ultimate sacrifice unless it’s “absolutely necessary” for U.S. national security.

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