Should the West Intervene in Syria?

By ⋅ January 19, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment
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Anti-Syria protest in Washington (Photo: mar is sea Y/Flickr)

Anti-Syria protest in Washington (Photo: mar is sea Y/Flickr)

The failure by the Arab League mission to stop the violence in Syria puts more pressure on the larger international community to intervene there but the US has no plans to do that.

Host Marco Werman talks to Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations and Marc Lynch of George Washington University about their opposing views on whether or not the US should intervene.

Listen to the full conversation:

What do you think? Should the West intervene militarily in Syria?

Post your comments below.

Discussion

10 comments for “Should the West Intervene in Syria?”

  • Edward Stilkind

    Yes, but only as a joint operation of nations (such as the UN or more likely NATO). Hopefully the EU could take care of the operation itself, but I don’t think they’re prepared to do that. 

  • Anonymous

    How about a ‘Serbian’ type intervention?  Bombing command & control centers, secret police headquarters, communication centers?   With support of the Arab League, of course

  • Anonymous

    The only realistic policy is what is suggested here:  Serbia type, against command and control centers, security force headquarters, communication centers.  Yes, only with Arab League support, and best done with UNSC authorization. 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/IY6UZ7SWMC2S7JHEM3EJAHRC4E Jim

    No US intervention.  Let the Arab League lead–maybe lend them a drone or two. There must be no more pictures of US soldiers killing Arabs.  None.

  • Anonymous

    Would it be paid for by borrowing from China or Germany? Does our form of Democracy allow me to vote for or against? I really think we should be a bit more multilateral in our actions in this world and work with the UN behind us in anything we do. Civil wars in the Middle east are a desert quicksand that needs a big chain of helpers to pull one out of.

  • Anonymous

    Would we borrow the money from China or Germany? With our form of democracy,could I vote for or against it? I really think we need more miltilateral support for the actions we take. We need to influence UN support. When we fall into Middle East civil wars, we need a chain of people to pull us out of those desert quicksands.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_TOE5U4TBAHK4KR2ZNYEWYAFHP4 Christy

    Absolutely not. We are hated in the US for all of our foreign interventions in the Middle East. What so we know about the people fighting against the regime? This may be no more than a sectarian power disagreement. Even though the media doesn’t show it, there is large support from citizens for the President of Syria. I have talked to many on places like youtube. And look at the mess with Al Queda in Libya after the fall of Ghaddafi. Also Sharia Law is to be implemented in Libya. How is that better than what they had. It will end up a mess like in Iraq. Power vacuums, sectarian violence. Just stay out.

  • Anonymous

    We Should Never Support American
    Based NATO Intervention

    Should the Ummah oppose and
    condemn foreign intervention in Syria or any Arab land? .  Is it necessary  to assume that all those calling for it in Syria
    under the current conditions are part of a Western conspiracy?.

    Let us imagine a  scenario that destroyed millions in Iraq and destroyed an ancient civilization by
    the brutal policies of the United
    States

     

    The United States’ has a false self-image
    supporting democracy: if it can engage in promoting democracy, that’s all the
    better. If not, promoting dictatorship to serve its interests  This is because the objective was never to
    create democratic regimes, but compliant ones.

     

     

    Does the Ummah want to proceed
    from the best interests of, say, the United
    States’ or Israel’s foreign policy
    establishments and their proponents?

    Downfall of authoritarianism
    is  rational and just. ( no second
    thoughts on this)But we must be necessarily very suspicious   when
    it is the likes of  Cheney and Elliot
    Abrams behind the call for democracy.

     

    But for the United States, Israel, some European countries, Saudi Arabia and its minions in Lebanon and the
    Gulf, it is the Syria-Hezbollah-Iran axis that constitutes the most formidable
    challenge.

    An Iran-strike would also confront Turkey with a dilemma. Turkey would have to balance conflicting desires
    in the Middle East.

     

    Supporting the demise of the
    Syrian regime by any means, including external military intervention, is
    extremely reckless if the objective is to save Syrian lives or set the stage
    for a post-regime path of self-determination.

     

    Moreover, the external factor
    will reignite another local and regional struggle rather than simply end
    domestic authoritarian rule and pave the way for democratic development.

    One can be moved by the urgency of saving Syrian lives today, but if this is
    the ultimate purpose, and if Syrians’ self-determination is the desired
    outcome, one can easily see the perils of military intervention.

     

    As for the question of
    no-fly-zones that is considered the ask by many, as opposed to full scale
    military intervention, it has become safe to say that a no-fly zone is a code
    of sorts for more active military intervention in practice, as the case of
    Libya makes clear.

     

     

     

     

  • Anonymous

    YES A LOT OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE DYING IN HOMES CITY. PRESIDENT ASSAD KILLING EVERYBODY IN HOMES CITY. U.S SHOULD INTERVENE AND STOP KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE.

  • bgrggfe

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