Head to Head
Should the U.S. assist Syrians?
gcsunade | gcsunade.comMy answer would be a resounding yes. The U.S. has made its agenda clear in the region. We seek to spread liberty and democracy in the Middle East. So if the U.S. would give Libya aid, why not Syria? Syria is a strategically important state in the Middle East. If a stable government were put into place in Damascus, it would be beneficial for other allies in the region, especially Israel.
Turkey has already intervened in an effort to stabilize the violence, but imagine if NATO and the U.S. were able to provide support. Now, I’m not talking about the “aid” the Obama administration gave to Libyan rebels. That was a political fiasco that made no impact in the conflict between the Libyan rebels and the Gaddafi regime.
I am talking about an actual intervention with actual support. With a democratic Syria in place, it could provide an important ally in the region to offset the spread of Islamic Fundamentalism being promoted by Iran. By providing assistance in conjunction with the Turkish government as well as NATO, the U.S. would prevent the violence from spreading even more in the region and especially into Israel.
The U.S. has invested much in the protection of Israel, and if the violence were to spread and a new Islamic government were to be put into place, that could spell trouble for the Jewish state with Syria being so close geographically.
Submitted by
Jonathan Savitske
It is my opinion that providing aid to the Syrian people would stretch the United States far too thin at the moment. Our military forces are involved in two dedicated wars, our economy is struggling to avoid yet another recession, and we face massive debt issues that will only persist if we as a nation seek to act as world police once more. This non-interventionist model may seem cold hearted, but the fact of the matter is that the United States simply cannot afford to become involved in another Middle Eastern conflict.
Let it be known that I am in no way advocating that the people of Syria be left to the mercy of their tyrannical government. In the past few weeks, Turkey has issued a series of warnings to the government of Syria, instructing it to end its violent suppression of protests and political dissent. I fully support a Turkish military intervention in Syria, if and only if aided by a coalition of free Middle Eastern states. The coalition is the main selling point, for it will discourage the Syrian/Iranian defense pact from rolling into action. It is my belief that a powerful coalition of free Middle Eastern states can temper hostilities in Syria, without instigating a larger conflict.
I find that this Middle Eastern problem deserves a Middle Eastern solution, as it would not only prevent further conflict from compounding, but it would also prevent new hostilities towards the west from emerging. However the nations of the Middle East decide to handle the Syrian issue is completely in their hands. The United States in better off leaving the situation alone from a military standpoint, as it would be detrimental to our economic stability and general safety for years to come.
Submitted by
Kahlim Barclay
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