Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Obama Starts the Ball Rolling on Syria Strike in the Senate

Following the official White House press release on Assad's usage of chemical weapons on August 21st (attached map of affected areas), and Obama's confirmation of his power as the Commander-in-chief to use military force without permission from Congress, a campaign has begun to persuade Congress of the merits of direct involvement in Syria. Top US officials including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, General Martin Dempsey and Secretary of State John Kerry plead their case today in a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Despite recent opinion polls maintaining a majority opposition to a Syrian Strike among the American people, several lawmakers have expressed their support after Obama's efforts to seek approval began - representing "a huge boost for the president's efforts to win congressional approval for military action," with both House Speaker John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor declaring their support for Obama. The draft circulating in the SFRC has some choice restrictions, ruling out combat troops and limiting the time period to 60 days. However, the language does not restrict so called "mission creep," should circumstances necessitate further action or intervention after the strike in order to maintain stability or exploit new opportunities. A classic example of mission creep would be the Korean War, in which US forces proceeded into the North after retaking the South as per their original operational parameters - this particular expansion of goals ultimately went unmet after Chinese intervention.
With recent speculations focusing on what Obama would do if and when Congress rejects his proposal, another scenario emerges in which Congress actually approves said strikes. If the Obama administration continues to successfully persuade Congress, the strikes will almost certainly occur. How will the Syrian government react? How will American and Syrian allies react respectively? Will further intervention prove necessary after a strike?

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