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Syria Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 04, 2013 11 Comments
After testifying yesterday before the Senate, John Kerry, Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey are testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee: https://twitter.com/texasbryanp/status/375340994167730176 https://twitter.com/AuthorAnnBaker/status/375341049603821568 https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/status/375333974337265665 https://twitter.com/mpoindc/status/375330440359317504

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 04, 2013 28 Comments
This is the big headline today: "I did not set a red line." (added) Transcript via Real Clear Politics:
STEVE HOLLAND, REUTERS: Have you made up your mind whether to take action against Syria whether or not you have a congressional resolution approved? Is a strike needed in order to preserve your credibility for when you set these sort of red lines? And were you able to enlist the support of the prime minister here for support in Syria? PRESIDENT OBAMA: Let me unpack the question. First of all, I didn't set a red line. The world set a red line. The world set a red line when governments representing 98 percent of the world's population said the use of chemical weapons are abhorrent and passed a treaty forbidding their use even when countries are engaged in war. Congress set a red line when it ratified that treaty. Congress set a red line when it indicated that in a piece of legislation titled the Syria Accountability Act that some of the horrendous thing that are happening on the ground there need to be answered for. And so, when I said, in a press conference, that my calculus about what's happening in Syria would be altered by the use of chemical weapons, which the overwhelming consensus of humanity says is wrong, that wasn't something I just kind of made up. I didn't pluck it out of thin air. There was a reason for it. That's point number one. Point number two, my credibility is not on the line. The international community's credibility is on the line. And America and Congress' credibility is on the line because we give lip service to the notion that these international norms are important.
People are contrasting it with this August 2012 statement: This is too important for gamesmanship:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 03, 2013 54 Comments
There are many developments on the Syria front, some in Congress, some on the ground. We will update this throughout the day, and as usual, have the Legal Insurrection and #Syria hashtag Twitter feeds at the bottom of the post. Update are in reverse chronological order, with most recent on top. https://twitter.com/LarrySabato/status/375098989340680192

Posted by David Gerstman on September 01, 2013 21 Comments
President Obama has decided to send the issue of authorizing force against Syria to Congress. What should Congress do? Should Congress give him the authority to act based on the guidelines he's set out? Should Congress change the guidelines? The mishandling of Syria is so complete that whether or not military intervention is warranted, it may now be the worst of the options: Congress should not authorize the use of force in Syria, if at all, until there is a clear objective in mind. https://twitter.com/BorowitzReport/status/373104742991294467 This isn't me simply mocking the President, which would be easy to do. https://twitter.com/OptimisticCon/status/373893087602278400 This is based on the President's own words and actions; some since August 21 but many before. In A Show of Farce, after noting the severity of Assad's actions, James Taranto observes that the administration's stated goals hardly fit the crime.
Indications are that the Obama administration's response will be to drop a few bombs, break some stuff, and maybe kill a few bystanders. That comes nowhere near being a just punishment for the crimes alleged. Nor does it seem likely to prove an effective deterrent. Other dictators will see that they can use chemical weapons without endangering their survival (in both senses of the word). Assad will have tested the resolve of "the world" and found it wanting: Even after using chemical weapons, he will remain in power, with no reason to expect any external response to any further atrocity that doesn't involve chemical weapons.

Posted by Mandy Nagy on September 01, 2013 6 Comments

Edward Snowden and the NSA debate seem to have lost some significant momentum on Twitter in light of the current discussion about what the US will or won't be doing about the situation in Syria. Business Insider noticed that Syria Tensions Have Knocked The NSA Spying...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 31, 2013 28 Comments

Not the indecision and delayed decision about the use of force in Syria. The Golf immediately after the Rose Garden statement. Right after shipping responsibility for authorizing an attack on Syria, President Barack Obama returned to his comfort zone: The golf course. Obama’s motorcade left the White House at...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 31, 2013 30 Comments

Now that you have had all of about 6 hours to digest Obama's decision to seek authorization from Congress for use of force in Syria in response to the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons, let's get some quick reader feedback. The poll is open until...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 31, 2013 41 Comments
For continuing coverage, Syria Attack Watch. Full text here. UPDATE: Obama says has decided on military action, doesn't need U.N. Security Council or Congress, BUT will seek congressional authorization anyway: https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/373890688737640448 https://twitter.com/DamaineGorman/status/373865608133095425 https://twitter.com/amadeusulrich/status/373865790656626688 https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth/status/373865925629321216

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 31, 2013 20 Comments
We will update this post throughout the day, in reverse chronological order, with most recent updates at top. If there actually is an attack, we'll start a new thread with video embeds, etc. For now there are two Twitter feeds at the bottom of this post, one I created using reliable sources, and another raw #Syria hashtag feed. BREAKING - Obama says has decided to take military action, doesn't need U.N. Security Council or Congress, BUT will seek congressional approval: Really Chuck Todd, really? https://twitter.com/LegInsurrection/status/373868206969999360 More reactions at Obama statement on Syria and also below: https://twitter.com/ByronYork/status/373890688737640448 https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth/status/373865925629321216 https://twitter.com/Bridget_PJM/status/373866389045407744 https://twitter.com/jpodhoretz/status/373866895201427456 https://twitter.com/repjustinamash/status/373866418015858688 https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/373871738032910336

Posted by New Neo on August 30, 2013 29 Comments

Caroline Glick's article on Obama and Syria sums up the situation quite nicely---although "nicely" is hardly the proper word, because it makes for very sobering reading indeed: It is important to note that despite the moral depravity of the regime’s use of chemical weapons, none of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 30, 2013 61 Comments
U.S. declassified report on Syrian use of chemical weapons. (Embedded at bottom of post.)
U.S. Government Assessment A large body of independent sources indicates that a chemical weapons attack took place in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. In addition to U.S. intelligence information, there are accounts from international and Syrian medical personnel; videos; witness accounts; thousands of social media reports from at least 12 different locations in the Damascus area; journalist accounts; and reports from highly credible nongovernmental organizations.... We assess with high confidence that the Syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack against opposition elements in the Damascus suburbs on August 21. We assess that the scenario in which the opposition executed the attack on August 21 is highly unlikely. The body of information used to make this assessment includes intelligence pertaining to the regime’s preparations for this attack and its means of delivery, multiple streams of intelligence about the attack itself and its effect, our post-attack observations, and the differences between the capabilities of the regime and the opposition. Our high confidence assessment is the strongest position that the U.S. Intelligence Community can take short of confirmation. We will continue to seek additional information to close gaps in our understanding of what took place.
https://twitter.com/michaeldweiss/status/373490321079816193 https://twitter.com/MahirZeynalov/status/373490512725938177

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 30, 2013 38 Comments

As critical as I have been and continue to be of Obama's foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, I have a great unease with the schadenfreude being experienced in many corners over the vote in the British House of Commons refusing to take the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 29, 2013 9 Comments

The House of Commons is debating intervention in Syria right now. Watch LIVE Replay of full debate: Update 5:50 (h/t Drudge): UK Prime Minister Cameron loses Syria war vote: British Prime Minister David Cameron has lost a vote endorsing military action against Syria by 13 votes, a...

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