The Fallacies Of Considering American Intervention
in the Syrian Mess
In a blistering piece in the National Interest, Coulmbia University professor Rajan Menon questions the “all heart and no head” recommendations that the United States intervene in Syria’s civil war. Menon does not deny the horrors of the conflict, but questions if advocates of intervention have defined what American interests would be served by dispatching military forces to the war zone, and what risks the creation of no-fly zones and safe havens would involve. And, he argues, intervention courts the risk of a military clash with Russia since the U.S. would have to destroy Russian air defense systems now in place if a “no fly zone” were established.
Menon points out that U.S. is frustrated in that its efforts to arm the opposition to Assad have not worked, and our “allies” in the region—the Saudis, the Kuwaitis, the Qataris—are placing their bets on militant Sunni factions like Al Nusra and Al Qaeda. And our friends, the Kurds, seem to have ambitions that threaten our larger interests in the region, such as maintaining close ties to Turkey.
Yes, Menon agrees, the casualties in this interminable conflict have been staggering and depressing. But in the end, there is little that American intervention can accomplish.
Here is a link to his piece:
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/american-military-intervention-cant-save-syria-17971
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