RE: Syria, I sympathize with Obama on the decisions he must make
As one that absolutely opposes any involvement in Syria (I believe we have overextended ourselves well beyond capacity worldwide and cannot and should not maintain the current empire), I truly do not envy Obama's position right now.
Syria is a calamity in every respect. It's tragic and brutal. These words are just that and cannot really define the horrors taking place for over two years now. I can understand the need to help - to stop what is wrong - but in a situation where the moral lines have been blurred by both the rebel groups and the Assad regime, we cannot say where this will lead. And with a Russian president that is ruthlessly cynical in his own respects, an intervention with no allies worth speaking of - may potentially escalate this to even worse heights. Not only is this a proxy war between Iran and the Arab states, it's really a proxy war between Iran, Russia (and to a lesser extent China), and the US, Europe, and the Arab states. Is it worth risking a much larger war just to secure European access to a Qatar oil field via a pipeline - or ensure Arabian oil dominance in the region? The Russians have legitimate national security concerns regarding the Jihadist elements among the rebel groups. Has our government actually tried to discuss these concerns with the Russians? I'm skeptical if these have been taken seriously.
Ultimately this is a civil war. And civil wars are nasty. The American Civil War ended up with over half a million dead. That's more than every other war in this nation's history. No, civilians were not gassed and atrocities against civilians weren't comparable to modern day Syria, but it still was a horrific war with cities laying in ruins. But it was an inter-cine conflict, and I think the nation was better off for it, with minimal foreign involvement.
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