Facing the Red Line

At 2:00 PM EST today, Secretary of State John Kerry issued a harsh reprimand of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons on rebel opposition forces and civilians. This statement came in the wake of an attack on a Damascus suburb on Wednesday, August 21st that left hundreds with symptoms of neuro-toxic poisoning.

A proper response to the ongoing violence in Syria has been long overdue. Last August, President Obama warned the Syrian government that the use of chemical weapons would be considered the crossing of a "red line" that would prompt action from the United States. Despite the President's warning, several suspected chemical weapons attacks have taken place in Syria over the past year, none of which elicited a response from the U.S. government.

The military quagmires of both Iraq and Afghanistan have taught the President the value of caution in foreign military involvement, specifically when it comes to the gravity of placing "boots on the ground". Yet while taking a tread-lightly approach to the situation is necessary, Obama must also deal with the growing perception that America's international moral credibility is waning, and is being further hurt by the military's inaction in Syria.

Strategically, the conflict in Syria provides the United States with a plethora of additional complexities to the already tangled web of politics that affects Middle Eastern-American relations. First and foremost is Syria's relationship with Iran, which, for the past decade and a half, has been one of America's main antagonists in the region. On Sunday, Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, warned the United States that military intervention in Syria would have serious repercussions. 

In addition to international political complications, there is also heavy influence by Islamic extremists amongst the ranks of the Syrian rebels. One rebel group, the Al Nusra Front, is reported to have close ties with Al Qaeda. It is suspected that those rebel factions aided by Al Qaeda have the capacity to produce and deploy chemical weapons.

All in all, this situation is a mess. It seems unclear who the United States should be supporting, what means we should support them with, and to what end those means are to be used. Politics aside, thousands and thousands of innocent people are being slaughtered and displaced in a conflict that many do not wish to take part in. 

I have included a recent BBC Documentary that does a phenomenal job of providing some context to what is going on in Syria. The film, direct by Robin Barnwell and hosted by Dan Snow, illustrates how the country's recent history can shed a great deal of light on its current struggle. I strongly suggest watching it so you can have a basis for why the country is in its abysmal state.

Documentary BBC - A History of Syria (2013)

U.S. Arming Syrian Rebels

Last Thursday, President Obama made a long awaited decision to intervene in the civil war that has been taking place in Syria over the past two years. It was confirmed that the United States will provide arms to the rebel forces battling the Syrian Government led by President Bashar al-Assad. Although the administration claimed that it was because of the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons, it is more likely that the decision was driven by a desire to prevent the violence from seeping into surrounding countries. Some politicians, however, chastised the President for not acting quickly enough.

History could help explain why Obama has waited a significant amount of time to take a proactive stance in the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 90,000 people. First and most obvious, the recent foreign policy quagmires of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars should give the administration a great deal of reason to wander cautiously in regards to intervention in the Middle East. Likewise, last time the United States was faced with a similar opportunity to arm rebels in such a fashion was Operation Cyclone in the 1980s, in which the U.S. Government provided arms and financial aid to the Afghan Mujahideen. While this did help Afghanistan to throw off oppressive Soviet rule, it inadvertently allowed for the later consolidation of Al-Qaeda power.

President Obama is right to help the Syrian people fight for their freedom from a destructive despot, but a degree of wariness is necessary when dealing with such a volatile situation. The extremist groups present on both sides echo an atmosphere similar to the one in Afghanistan that was present thirty years ago.