Michael Andrews
Washington Post
America is a truly powerful country and has an obligation to protect those who can’t protect themselves. However, there is a fine line between control and protection.
Recently, information has come to our knowledge that the country of Syria is using chemical weapons in their civil war. Chemical weapons in warfare have been banned by the Geneva Protocol since 1928.
The U.S. has strictly followed the Geneva Convention decisions as international guidelines. As such the use of chemical weapons is considered crossing a line when it comes to foreign relations, whether or not it is on us.
While I agree that in most cases the use of chemical weapons requires intervention by the U.S., I believe this is no usual case. The past few years have signaled the end of a long and bloody war campaign by the U.S. in the Middle East. This war had caused the loss of many lives, on both sides, increased the U.S. debt, and even cost us a feeling of national security. Ground troops have been largely removed and in my personal opinion it was time to leave.
Unfortunately, as we have just about finished with military campaigns in the Middle East we discover that Syria is using chemical weapons. There are very few things that could be capable of pulling the U.S. back into the Middle East, but Syria used one of them in the form of chemical weapons.
As an almost immediate policing action, some may consider premature, we positioned Missile Cruiser ships in the waters outside of Syria and threatened to bombard them, should the chemical weapons continue to be used. In most cases I would have agreed with this, but there are just too many consequences that could arise from this attack. Syria and Iran currently hold an alliance, which means that if we were to attack Syria, we could unintentionally spark a war with Iran who, allegedly, might possess nuclear weapons. While I believe that there are people who need aid in Syria, I believe our intervention raises too many risks of war.
Fortunately the U.S. is not the only power that felt the need to intervene. Russia has made an offer to Syria that if they hand over their chemical weapons peacefully, there will be no attack. I believe that if anyone were to get involved, this is the best approach.
Should Syria decide to end this peacefully I believe we as a nation can learn something from this ordeal. World policing sometimes simply requires some politicking and that attacks and war should always be a last resort and should only be used in a defensive manner. The U.S. has an obligation as a world power to pursue peace through peaceful means. The end doesn’t always justify the means.
