The Path from 9/11 to Syria
Every year on the anniversary of 9/11, I have written an op ed reflecting on the horrors of that day, the lack of justice for those that were murdered, and many still unanswered questions.
This year's anniversary is especially jarring, because President Obama wants to bomb Syria--over its alleged use of chemical weapons, the type of weapons we couldn't find after we invaded Iraq over 9/11. Obama also wants to send a variety of messages: that he is tough enough to enforce his redline on the use of chemical weapons; that he wants to break the Axis of Resistance against Israel (Iran, Syria, Hezbollah); and that Iran should be scared that their turn is next.
President Bush used our cries of grief after 9/11 to launch what has become perpetual war. On his watch, Obama is saying that we need to attack Syria to show that we condemn the use of chemical weapons. Yet, the US itself has repeatedly used chemical weapons in war.
We have used white phosphorous and depleted uranium in Iraq and Afghanistan. By the rules of war, white phosphorous is considered legal when used against military forces, but not against civilians--a distinction that is often lost on the battlefield (e.g., in the battle for Fallujah in Iraq). While various UN Commissions have proposed that depleted uranium (coated on shells to make it easier to penetrate armor) is illegal, including under the treaty banning chemical weapons, a formal ruling has yet to be made. But our own use of depleted uranium has already led to a significant rise in birth defects in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And while we deny that we knew that Hussein was using chemical weapons when we supported him in his war with Iran, it is undeniable that we provided military intelligence to help him target Iranian troops.
Once we bomb Syria, we won't be able to extract ourselves from that complex mix of revolution, civil war, and proxy war until it runs its many-year course, as in the case of the war in Lebanon, from 1975 to 1990. We would in reality also be attacking Syria's allies--particularly Russia and Iran. Drawing Russia into the battle could lead to nuclear Armageddon.
MORE...
http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-Path-from-9-11-to-Syri-by-Mark-Dunlea-Syria_Syria-Massacre_Syrian-Situation-130909-528.html
