On September 10, 2013, President Obama addressed the nation on the topic of Syria, which has been quite a controversial issue facing the United States during this past month. In his speech, the president said that the Assad regime “gassed to death over a thousand people, including hundreds of children” on August 21, 2013. When such a heinous war crime, such as this one, is committed, as a country that has vowed to protect the world from such acts we must ask ourselves, where do we go from here?
It is clear that in this situation, there are two main options that hold Assad accountable for his actions and reveal mass genocide will not be tolerated: go to Syria and use brute force or utilize diplomacy. However, when considering all the United States has gone through, there is only one clear choice: do not fight.
Over the past ten years, the people of the United States have had to endure multiple decisions that have drastically changed this country. Since 2001, the United States has deployed more than 2,000,000 troops to the Middle East, and over 793,000 of those troops were deployed more than once. The decision to invade Iraq and Afghanistan has taken a toll not only on our troops, but also on everyone back home. Families of deployed men and women have had to carry on without their loved ones, and that cannot be easy for anyone. Because of this horrible war that the country is still feeling the sting of, many Americans feel that their country should not have to jump right into another one.
The president noted in his address to the nation that he has “spent four and a half years working to end wars, not to start them”, stating, “Our troops are out of Iraq. Our troops are coming home from Afghanistan.” Obama knows that a decision involving heavy military action against Assad will not be popular and one veteran put it perfectly when he told the president, “This nation is sick and tired of war.”
This veteran has a great point because many Americans are tired of all the fighting, and if they are not, they definitely should be. Due to the Iraq and Afghan wars, the United States has lost about 6,758 brave soldiers, and 1,000 of those lives were lost in just the year 2007 alone. With such a high death toll, there is no wonder why so many US citizens are outraged at the idea of striking or entering Syria. The United States should not have to endure anymore loss of life.
If the United States were to implement military action upon Syria, the repercussions could be devastating. Similar to Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States would going out of their way to join another war. Once again, troops would have to leave their families and friends and risk their lives to fight against yet another Middle East regime, and for what? So more troops can lose lives and the nation can once again regret starting another war? The answer is simple and recent history proves that taking military action in Syria would not be a good decision for the United States.
In addition, the United States should also be thinking about how the rest of the world will perceive them if they strike without international support. Other nations such as Britain, Germany, and France have all voiced outrage toward Assad’s actions, but none of them have decided to take action. For example, in Britain, the decision was sent to Parliament who, in fact, voted it down. Therefore, it is clear that military action is not well supported on an international level, so the United States should take this into account when deciding on a course of action because they do not want to act in a way that will upset other nations.
Every American should be urging President Obama to stick to his word for when he said, “My answer is simple: I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria. I will not pursue an open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan.” With all things considered, the President’s decision should be one every person in the nation, regardless of political views as a Republican or Democrat, should support because when it comes to an issue that has the potential to put troops in danger and alter the way the nation is perceived, everyone needs to back a decision that keeps the troops and this country safe from future harm and political issues.
