By Pat Cameron
The debate whether or not to attack Syria should be very important to all Americans. This conflict is going to affect our lives and those of future generations.
What is Syria capable of? They have the power to wipe away a lot of innocent people through the use of chemical weapons. “Syria gassed to death over 1000 people including hundreds of women and children. This is a crime against humanity which makes it a violation against the laws of war,” stated President Obama in his address to the Nation on September 13th. Consider this: 189 governments around the world (which is 98% of humanity) agreed to get rid of chemical weapons. The dead bodies found at the scene tested positive for sarin, which is a lethal nerve agent that kills within minutes. The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said: “This is the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein used them in Halabja in 1988. The international community has pledged to prevent any such horror from recurring, yet it has happened again.” If the U.S doesn’t act, the Assad regime with continue to test chemical weapons on other subjects. Whose is to say that it will not be America?
I don’t think it is worth it to wait and see how events will unfold. The loss of life would be too high, whether it be here in the U.S or within the territory of our Allies. President Obama also said in his speech that he wants to put a stop to the Assad regime by use of a military strike, one that hopefully wouldn’t cause a violent response.
It is essential during this time that President Obama continues communication with President Putin of Russia. Although Russia is an ally to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, there is still hope for Russian aid in the conflict if the United Nations were to call for military intervention. Putin stated that Russia would “be ready to act in the most decisive and serious way” if there was clear evidence of what weapons were used and by whom: “If there is evidence that chemical weapons were used, and by the [Syrian] regular army… then this evidence must be presented to the UN Security Council. And it must be convincing.”
If there was a military strike, the U.S would do everything in their power to rebuild the area under a new healthy environment. Intervention in Syria would show the world that the United States still has power to protect people who are defenseless. If we as a country cannot show support for victims of violence, then we do not have our priorities in the right place. There are innocent people out there being murdered. By not acting, the enemy has a chance to see what kind of damage they can induce without penalty. If I ever saw someone that was close to me die in a chemical attack, I would be devastated. This is why I agree with President Obama that a military strike is the right approach.
President Obama said that he didn’t want to take action until Congress approved a military strike- which I am one hundred percent in favor of doing. But its confusing to me when our president explains in great detail why a military strike is the right approach, and the people are now going against him. It doesn’t make sense because the public chose President Obama to make the right decisions when it comes to the country’s safety and well -being . Now Americans are changing their minds.
