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Syria: Is It the Sunnis' or Shiites' Fault?
Posted By Josh Rogin
Monday, March 5, 2012 - 1:14 PM
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Later today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, will become the first U.S. senator to publicly call for U.S. led air strikes to halt the violence and atrocities being committed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"After a year of bloodshed, the crisis in Syria has reached a decisive moment," McCain will say Monday afternoon in a speech on the Senate floor, according to excerpts obtained in advance by The Cable.
"What opposition groups in Syria need most urgently is relief from Assad's tank and artillery sieges in many cities that are still contested. Homs is lost for now, but Idlib, and Hama, and Qusayr, and Deraa, and other cities in Syria could still be saved," McCain will say. "But time is running out. Assad's forces are on the march. Providing military assistance to the Free Syrian Army and other opposition groups is necessary, but at this late hour, that alone will not be sufficient to stop the slaughter and save innocent lives. The only realistic way to do so is with foreign airpower."
The Obama administration's stance thus far has been to clearly communicate that international military intervention is not on the table in Syria. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the United States is willing to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria immediately... but only if Assad agrees to provide access to affected areas.
McCain, referring directly to the requests for more direct assistance from the Syrian National Council, the Free Syrian Army, and Local Coordinating Committees inside Syria, will call for the United States to lead an international effort to protect civilian population centers in northern Syria through airstrikes on Assad's forces.
"To be clear: This will require the United States to suppress enemy air defenses in at least part of the country," McCain will say. "The ultimate goal of airstrikes should be to establish and defend safe havens in Syria, especially in the north, in which opposition forces can organize and plan their political and military activities against Assad. These safe havens could serve as platforms for the delivery of humanitarian and military assistance -- including weapons and ammunition, body armor and other personal protective equipment, tactical intelligence, secure communications equipment, food and water, and medical supplies. These safe havens could also help the Free Syrian Army and other armed groups in Syria to train and organize themselves into more cohesive and effective military forces, likely with the assistance of foreign partners."
McCain will point out that more than 7,500 lives have now been lost in Syria and that the United Nations has declared that Syrian security forces are guilty of crimes against humanity, including the indiscriminate shelling of civilians, the execution of defectors, and the widespread torture of prisoners.
"Increasingly, the question for U.S. policy is not whether foreign forces will intervene militarily in Syria. We can be confident that Syria's neighbors will do so eventually, if they have not already. Some kind of intervention will happen, with us or without us. So the real question for U.S. policy is whether we will participate in this next phase of the conflict in Syria, and thereby increase our ability to shape an outcome that is beneficial to the Syrian people, and to us. I believe we must."
He will also drive home the point that the situation in Syria is now as dire as the situation was in Libya before the U.S. led a NATO intervention there last year.
"The kinds of mass atrocities that NATO intervened in Libya to prevent in Benghazi are now a reality in Homs. Indeed, Syria today is the scene of some of the worst state-sponsored violence since Milosevic's war crimes in the Balkans, or Russia's annihilation of the Chechen city of Grozny," McCain will say.
McCain will then point out that President Barack Obama characterized the prevention of mass atrocities as "a core national security interest" when speaking about Libya and has committed the credibility of the United States to his repeated calls for Assad to step aide.
"If Assad manages to cling to power -- or even if he manages to sustain his slaughter for months to come, with all of the human and geopolitical costs that entails -- it would be a strategic and moral defeat for the United States. We cannot, we must not, allow this to happen," McCain will say.
"Rather than closing off the prospects for some kind of a negotiated transition that is acceptable to the Syrian opposition, foreign military intervention is now the necessary factor to preserve this option. Assad needs to see that he will not win."
MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images
That's our problem worried about fighting everyone else's war; we need to focus on this country.
Neocon plan is coming to fruition
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and then Iran...
Fooling everyone as they bomb each and every one of these countries in the process.
Neocon mouthpiece John McCain pushing yet another war for Israel
Neocon mouthpiece John McCain calls for airstrikes in Syria (for Israel yet again of course!)
http://america-hijacked.com/2012/03/05/neocon-mouthpiece-john-mccain-calls-for-airstrikes-in-syria/
The civilians need help, the problem is the FSA is allied with Al-Qaeda.
Fixing the problems of the American mainland must not be as exciting as warring against other nations.
Opposition's easy solutions to fix problems abroad.
If you are in the opposition, one can get away with so much of this verbal diarrea.
What is it about aging white guys and war?
Polls still indicate that most Americans - even Southern conservatives - want the U.S. out of war.
Media, however, jump at the chance to quote John McCain, Lindsey Graham and other aging warmongers. Why not quote someone who makes some sense for a change? These old dudes are stuck in time. I don't give a damn how powerful they may be in D.C. To the people out here, they look foolish and need the hook,
Since when does the United Stated Air Force provide air support for the Muslim Brotherhood?
wakethe world...since libya you fool.
besides, what happend to humanitarian concerns...
where the hell is the hypocrite samantha power??? no, she only reserves her powder for israel.
syria deserves the same humanitarian protection that was given to libya....or is OBAMA only about oil?????
remember they said that about bush? well? is it not true of obama? the truth is, the US didnt even get hardly any of iraqs oil even though if they were the big bad imperialists leftits like to claim, they could have just TAKEN all of the iraqi oil, but they didnt. ...dont believe me? here;
http://moneymorning.com/2010/10/08/iraq-energy-sector-2/
Of the more than 40 companies to take part in the last licensing round, only seven firms present at the auction were American and only one actually entered a bid. Some industry observers had feared that the underlying goal of U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was to gain control of that Middle Eastern country's oil reserves, but so far that hasn't been the case.
"We haven't really seen U.S. companies, and that is because of intense competition," said Thamir Ghadhban, a prime ministerial adviser and former oil minister. "The issue is financial and technical and not at all political. This confirms Iraq can manage its oil policy and activities without politicization."
Chinese energy companies are well suited for projects in Iraq, because they have less experience and fewer business opportunities than their larger, Western counterparts. Many Western companies are shying away from Iraq because of unfavorable contract terms and security risks. But with exploration costs soaring, and many of the world's premium reserves already spoken for, China is ready and willing to invest heavily in Iraq.
Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE: RDS.A , RDS.B), OAO Gazprom (OTC ADR: OGZPY), Lukoil (OTC ADR: LUKOY), China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC), and Malaysia's Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) all announced major new deals after participating in the biggest oil-field auction in history.
Lukoil and Statoil will redevelop Iraq's West Qurna-2 field, which is believed to hold more than 12 billion barrels of oil reserves, for a production fee of $1.15 per barrel. Royal Dutch Shell and Petronas will develop Majnoon, a similar-sized oil field. Additionally, the state-owned Petronas will join forces with Total SA (NYSE ADR: TOT) and CNPC on the Halfaya field, which has proven reserves of 4.1 billion barrels.
No, the USAF did not. Just Nato.
dont kid yourself boy...it was the good ol US of A.....
most of the work and expertise and hardware was supplied and directed by the US within nato....if you want to say that hitting syria would mean being on side with the MB, then that is exactly what the US already in libya...
lets be honest....the opposition in syria is no picknick either...all these dogs are now turning to the cover of international humanitarian aid to help them come to power... and so it goes on ...kabuki theatre.
I have always admired Mr Caine for his forthrightness and consistency in defending human rights. Unlike others [especially George Bush] ... as a veteran of war, he knows when war and armed intervention are justified. Unfortunately Messrs. Bush and Blair handed Iraq on a silver platter to Iran. Syria is Iran's right hand in fomenting trouble in a very sensitive region. Under present circumstances sorting out Iran is inevitable ... longer we wait, more difficult it will get. In order to nutralise Iran, it is essential to demolish the Alewite minority [and barbaric] Syrian. At the moment Iran has solid support from Iraq - Syria Lebanon thru' to oil bearing eastern seaboard of Saudi Arabia ... i.e. from Gulf to the Medeterranean. This block threatens not only the stability and oil supplies [consequently world economy] ... but will eventually destabalise Turkey [the only stable country in the region] ... with drastic consequences. Obama administration has been total and utter disappointment ... ridden with U-turns [consider stance on Israel]. Obamam is being led by the nose. DEAL WITH SYRIA now and the dominoes will fall and world economy will get much needed boost. Otherwise the prognosis is very serious ... if Israel attacks Iran ... USA and its allies will be dragged into a discoordinated war ... all hell will break loose. Deal with SYRIA, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, in a determend and planned manner asap. The whole Arab world will also back us. Eventual benefits will far exceed the ultimate cost. Unfortunately oppsition to Obama is very fragmented and palid.
In this global village it is myopic to think that we are immune from whatever happens elsewhere ... apart from national interest and humanitarian aspect ... each cent rise in fuel price is our loss and Iranian gain !!
because we don't have oil all the government in the world watching crimes in my country ( syria ) we need freedom and we will got it if we have oil or we have not .
sham on you usa and all the world .
Make martyrs of Victory
We support the army free
All that is needed is one elite commando group, backed by enough UAV to track even the smallest movement, around the Syrian Presidential Palace and it will all come to a stop.
Obama should fight assad now! isolate iran now!
if ever there was a time to move, its now.
No more American blood.
for who? really? for who? maybe for innocent lives like in libya
or maybe because the left is always spouting off about being humanitarian? or maybe they do it because in terms of geopolitics, it hems in iran?
what kind of fool are you.....
Hello 'Wake-the-World' ... are we in a dreamland? No American blood? Wait till we are pulled willy nilly into a messy war as a result of Israeli attack on Iran ... or better still let Iran acquire the Nuke. Then we will really wake up. As someone observed, we can take out the Syrian top thugs ... like we did Noriaga ... or pin them down with drones. Speak to the thugs in their own language ... they'll understand us loud and clear. Wait six months and we will see how many NOT ONLY American but British, French [not sure of German] ... lives we will save. Argintina is waiting in the wings to grab 'Falklands' ... leading the world comes at a price ... well worth it. Appeasement has a very sad history. I know we can't sort out ALL the injustices ... but prevarication and indecision regarding Iran will come to bite us back, very hard. Syria is Irans pivotal ally ... like I said, demolish Asad and his cousin Mahar, and dominoes will fall. Iran will be neutered like a bullying tomcat needs to be speyed. By the way ... we not only have regional support ... but half the Iranian population is waiting to overthrow the Ayatollahs. Rich Arab states are ready and willing to subsidise the costs.
Our Sen(ile) John McCain'R (AZ).
As a resident of Arizona (TheAZCowBoy) I have found this guy to be crazy and 'war addicted.' I remember during the Vietnam War he crashed 6 Skyhawk A4D fighters inside of 18 months and they were ready to (((yank))) his wings off. But, of course, as the progeny of a famous admiral they let his 'keep on showing his incompetence as a piolt.' Well, his now-chronic war addiction and 'incompetence as the senior Sen(ile)ator from Arizona-R (Az) he 'again' needs his 'wings clipped off - once more!).
oooooh, those pesky "neocons"...lol.....
oooooh, so sinister...oooooh, scaryyyyyy, .......
BOO!
I guess if you are the former AG and Gov of Arkansas, or a Junior Senator from Illinois, you don't need to have any experience to get a promotion to the highest elected office in the land..
"Is rio orange war always forfait mobile blackberry inevitable ?"
MaximB
John Hudson reports on national security and foreign policy from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom, the White House to Embassy Row, for The Cable.
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