President Barack Obama addressed the nation Tuesday night about the use of chemical weapons in Syria and the United States’ response to the alleged war crimes.
Firstly, for those who do not know, Syria has been embroiled in civil war for two years. More than 100,000 people have died and millions more have been displaced by the violent clashes between the rebels and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
The United States remains uninvolved directly in the war, but allegations that Assad used chemical weapons in neighborhoods surrounding Damascus have brought the possibility of American military action.
We applaud the president’s decision to seek Congress’ approval before any military action is taken. Though Obama has seen only limited support for any such military intervention, the speed bump has sparked an invaluable national debate.
It’s clear the American population is not on board with Obama’s calls for strikes in the war-torn country. More than 60 percent of those recently polled by the Pew Research Center oppose air strikes in Syria.
We have our concerns, too. The United States should not be required to act as the world’s police force; even Obama said the same during Tuesday’s speech.
Getting embroiled in another seemingly endless war is obviously worrying — especially when the wounds from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are still fresh.
Even though Obama pledged to keep U.S. troops’ boots off the ground in Syria, military action still seems unsettling.
At the same time, we cannot stand by while war crimes are taking place anywhere in the world. The killing of civilians with chemical weapons requires some response.
We encourage Obama, his administration and international powers to continue to pursue diplomatic means of removing Assad’s ability to use such weapons before exercising any military action. It would seem the recently announced Russian initiative — which would have Assad’s regime forfeit all chemical weapons — has some promise.
But the United States cannot take military action off the table. Not only will the threat help the chances of the diplomatic solution’s success, but it is also an action that must be considered when responding appropriately to the crimes committed.
The complete consequences of the attacks are still unknown, but they will certainly be far-reaching. The repercussions directly affect us, both as Americans and members of the human race.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
