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Turn the Tide Against Bashar al-Assad

(Washington Post) Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) - More than nine months after President Obama declared that Bashar al-Assad must go, it is clear that neither diplomacy nor sanctions alone will dislodge the Syrian dictator. Unfortunately, the United States is not yet doing anything decisive to turn the military tide against Assad - nor will any other country or coalition of countries do enough, absent U.S. leadership. After two visits in the past month to the Middle East, one message I consistently heard from both the Syrian opposition and U.S. partners is frustration about why the United States, which called for Assad's ouster, has done so little to bring it about. What is happening in Syria is a humanitarian catastrophe, with at least 10,000 dead, more than 1 million people displaced and horrific human rights abuses perpetrated daily. Events in Syria are also of strategic importance for the region. The fall of Assad would represent the greatest setback Iran has suffered in a quarter-century. Conversely, the Syrian opposition is worried that the longer this conflict continues on its current path, the more Syrian society will balkanize and radicalize. That is why stopping Syria's slide into civil war and anarchy is not just a mission of mercy but also an imperative for U.S. national security. We must dramatically step up efforts to provide the Syrian opposition with the means to defend themselves against Assad. Our partners in the region have the funding, weapons and territory necessary for a full-scale effort to train, equip and sustain a more capable, professionalized and inclusive resistance against Assad.
2012-05-18 00:00:00
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