Moral Obscenities in Syria
Does anyone really believe that a military strike on an alleged chemical weapons factory would help the Syrian people, would save any lives, would help bring an end to this horrific civil war?
The US government has been divided over the Syria crisis since it began. Some, especially in the Pentagon and some of the intelligence agencies, said direct military intervention would be dangerous and would accomplish nothing. Others, especially in Congress and some in the State Department, have demanded military attacks, even regime change, against the Syrian leadership, even before anyone made allegations of chemical weapons. The Obama administration has been divided too, with President Obama seemingly opposed to any US escalation. The American people are not divided -- 60 percent are against intervening in Syria’s civil war even if chemical weapons were involved.
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Phyllis Bennis is a fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. She is active in the US and global Palestinian rights and peace movements, and her books include Challenging Empire: How People, Governments, and the UN Defy US Power and Ending the US War in Afghanistan: A Primer.
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