President Obama\'s Proposal to Militarily Intervene in Syria

¶ … action has President Obama proposed to undertake and why?

In 2012, U.S. President Barack Obama drew a "red line" when he stated that the use of chemical weapons by Syria would not be tolerated by the international community in response to an announcement by Syrian officials that acknowledged that they possessed chemical weapons and would use them in the event of "foreign intervention" in Syria's civil war (Grier, 2013). According to Grier (2013), Syria has not ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention that outlaws the production, storage, and use of poison gas [and] is believed to have hundreds of tons of mustard gas, blister agents, and nerve agents, which could include sarin and the agent VX" (p. 37).

In response to a report that chemical weapons had killed 2,000 Syrian civilians, President Obama sought approval from the U.S. Congress to pursue "a limited military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [but] any military attack would not be open-ended or include U.S. ground forces" (cited in Shoichet & Watkins, 2013, para. 2). The military action requested of Congress would be "to deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade the potential for future uses of chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction" (cited in Shoichet & Watkins, 2013, para. 1).

2.

Who are the protagonists who support the president's proposal and why?

In response to the use of outlawed chemical weapons against his own people by Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime, the main protagonists that emerged in support of the president's proposal were France and U.S. Senators Graham and McCain. For instance, French President Francois Hollande agreed with President Obama that "The international community must deliver a resolute message to the Assad regime -- and others who would consider using chemical weapons -- that these crimes are unacceptable and those who violate this international norm will be held accountable by the world" (cited in Shoichet & Watkins, 2013, para. 1).

Likewise, in April 2013, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) responded to the chemical attacks by Syria calling for the same types of interventions that have been used in European conflicts in the past. According to McCain, "Now I hope the administration will consider what we have been recommending now for over two years of this bloodletting and massacre - and that is to provide a safe area for the opposition to operate, to establish a no-fly zone, and provide weapons to the people in the resistance who we trust" (cited in Mulrine, 2013, p. 19).

3.

Who are antagonists who oppose the president's proposal and why?

Clearly, Syrian President Assad is opposed to President Obama's proposal because it will hamper his efforts to overcome the opposition forces arrayed against him. Russian President Putin, Syria's long-time sponsor and China also oppose U.S. intervention, along with many members of the U.S. Congress, and popular opinion in the U.S. And the rest of the world against further military adventurism by the U.S. anywhere in the Middle East or Northern Africa as part of its global war on terrorism.

4.

Where do you stand regarding the president's proposal and why?