The Syrian War Is Spreading: Should U.S. Get Involved?

[georgephillip]

...the US cannot refuse to be involved. We can however, refuse to arm either side. In doing so, we would be arming our future enemies, no matter which side wins.

What form of US involvement in Syria would not involve selling arms?
FWIW, I think you're dead right about future enemies.

Air support, no-fly-zone, medical aid (supplies, triage doctors, field hospitals), transportation, food, intelligence, money, assistance to refuges, etc....there is much more to waging war than weapons and ammo.

Still I think we would be giving aid and comfort to future enemies. Whichever side wins will likely be our enemy afterwards.

I suppose no-fly zones and air support would increase the demand for medical aid and assistance to refugees in Syria, and there seems little doubt which ever side wins will have its authoritarian, ruthless elites ruling the homeless survivors of US/NATO air strikes.

 

[Kondor3]

This is about the US deciding to flex its muscles again after a long delay in making up its mind...

This is about a mission-less Russia trying to resurrect its rusted-over status as a foil to the US...

This is about the Euros trying to get back in the game after a 70 year hiatus, collectively this time, in their own backyard...

This is about a half-dozen Muslim factions trying to gain or retain ascendancy in the region...

This is about Turkey and Israel worrying over destabilizing struggles on their borders...

This has Blown-All-Out-of-Proportion written all over it...

I suppose it could lead to WWIII...

But only if the Russians can magically begin projecting Conventional Power that far from their borders in ways and on a scale not seen since the 1940s, if ever...

'Cause you know they aren't going to Go Nuclear over some pi$$ant like Syria... there's no 'percentage' in it...

IMHO, we will see some tension over this, and some saber-rattling, but it will continue to be a small-scale war-by-proxy, with The West waiting to see if the Rebels can hold their own, before The West jumps-in on a grander scale.

When The West does jump-in, Russia (and China, to a lesser extent) will make a fuss at the UN Security Council, but that will be the end of it.

 

[richstacy]

Kondor,
I think your analysis is pretty darn good!

I think the only thing that could get Putin to jump in with both feet is the United States getting in a big way.

I think Russia learned a lesson about getting mired in Mideast civil strife in Afghanistan. We are apparently a bit more dense and do not learn as easily from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Political Islam has suffered a major defeat this week in Egypt. Hopefully, that will be a trend.

The one thing that keeps Jihadists going is our presence on their "holy" ground. I say, when they hit us as they did on 9/11 -- hit them back hard. Otherwise do not put boots on their ground unless absolutely necessary, i.e. when American or Israeli security interests are genuinely threatened.

In that latter category, we should do everything we can to destabilize Iran, because we cannot allow them to have the bomb unless we want to see American cities disappear.

 

[Circe]

The one thing that keeps Jihadists going is our presence on their "holy" ground. I say, when they hit us as they did on 9/11 -- hit them back hard. Otherwise do not put boots on their ground unless absolutely necessary, i.e. when American or Israeli security interests are genuinely threatened.

In that latter category, we should do everything we can to destabilize Iran, because we cannot allow them to have the bomb unless we want to see American cities disappear.

Or Israeli cities disappear: I do think that would happen if Iran gets The Bomb.

Since I started this thread Egypt has collapsed into civil war, possibly. I don't think what is going on in the Middle East has anything directly to do with us, or Russia, or anyone else -- indirectly it probably does and is about modernization or hating modernization.

But I think we're in the middle of an historic event, the going up in flames of the whole Middle East, and we're too close to it to see it.

We had better move very, very carefully; I also think Kondor makes good points. Better let it burn itself out locally rather than the fire spreading all over the world.

 

[Missourian]

No, we should stay out of it.

I agree.

 

[SayMyName]

The war talk against Syria is heating up in the U.S. administration, and also in Europe.

Does that give the USA a reason to go in, and if we do, on which side and what would be the war goals? Troops on the ground or air only?

No.