Obama’s decision to intervene in Syria by arming the rebels there is not just dumb, it is directly antithetical to America’s best interests in the Middle East and beyond and is arguably treasonous.
For one thing rebel forces include al-Qaeda and other armed groups dedicated to the destruction of the United States. In fact, rebel forces may be made up primarily of groups dedicated to the destruction of the U.S., including al-Qaeda. They are America’s enemies, enemies who are at war with the United States, enemies who have made no secret of their hatred and disgust for all things American and of their desire to bring America down and turn the U.S. into an Islamic country governed by Islamic law.
They are the same Islamists who were responsible for 9/11 and any number of other anti-American and anti-Western atrocities and arming them guarantees that the arms will eventually be used against America and the West. Talk about arming your enemy...that’s exactly what Obama would be doing by supplying arms to the rebels and that will result in American and Western deaths and is simply dumb.
For another, if the rebels succeed in toppling the Assad regime in Damascus and replace it with a government of their own making the resulting bloodbath will dwarf anything we have seen in Syria so far. That is because the war there is nothing more than an extension of the Sunni-Shia conflict that has riven Islam from its beginning. The war in Syria is not a civil war or a secular war, it is a religious war and if the rebels win with the assistance of American arms there will be ethnic and religious cleansing on an unimaginable scale, bloodshed and death on an unimaginable scale.
For another, Israel is America’s only true friend in the Middle East and is vital to the national security of the United States. If the rebels win and the Assad regime falls Israel’s national security will be compromised and jeopardized and so will the national security of the U.S. At the very least Israel will have to fight for her existence, America will be forced to fight alongside her, millions of lives will be lost and nuclear weapons may very well be used.
For another, anyone who thinks Obama will be able to stop with supplying arms to the rebels is dead wrong. Supplying American arms today will lead to American planes in the sky tomorrow and will lead to American boots on the ground the day after as sure as I am writing this and as sure as you are reading it.
For another, the rebels clearly do not have the support or trust of a majority of the Syrian population, whereas Assad does. That is why he is surviving and winning. Even with the support he is receiving from Russia and Iran he wouldn’t be doing either if he wasn’t backed by a majority of the general population...it simply wouldn’t be possible.
Ironic, isn’t it? Russia and Iran helping Assad and acting in America’s best interests by keeping the rebels out of power, which is of course what Obama should be doing instead of supplying arms to them.
In fact, if Obama really wanted to act in America’s best interests (which should of course be his only consideration) he would do everything he could to keep Assad in power and the rebels out of it.
Obama supplying arms to the rebels.
Dumb.
And treasonous.
Jerry Philipson is a retired grandfather who has spent many years working in non-profit social service agencies in Canada and the United States. He holds dual Canadian and American citizenship and has been passionate about politics, civil liberties, freedom and democracy for virtually his whole life. He is particularly interested in the Middle East and America and believes that it is vital for people of good heart and good conscience to speak out against tyranny and dishonesty and to stand up and defend and protect Western values, principles and institutions.
