Senator McCain
Photo: AP
Moral indifference
Op-ed: US Republicans must realize many Syrian rebels despise West just as much as they despise Assad
The US Republicans are causing problems. Recently they have increased the pressure on President Obama to intervene in Syria. According to them, Obama must keep his promise to intervene in case Assad uses chemical weapons against his own citizens. Senator McCain said that if Israel can attack Damascus, there is no reason for America to continue hesitating.
Hopefully, the US will continue to hesitate. In the case of Syria, as opposed to Iran or Iraq, forceful American intervention would be foolish. Even before the first bomb has been dropped, it is clear that there is not way of differentiating between the good Syrians and bad. Both sides resort to identical violence. They are equally cruel.
Radical Islam
Alex Fishman
Op-ed: Islamist rise in post-Assad Syria may find Israel surrounded by radical Muslim elements
Statistically speaking, Assad may be killing more people, but this is only because the rebels do not have the same amount weapons. Many of them are operated by external jihadist organizations that despise the West just as much as they despise Assad. They have no interest in any democratic notions. Just recently America suffered from the Boston-based chapter of these organizations. Should the FBI interrogators ask the surviving terrorist what he thinks of the civil war in Syria, they'll find out he supports the rebels.
While Assad apparently used chemical weapons, he has already butchered tens of thousands without chemical weapons, and the world remained silent. Those who oppose the Assad regime were killed in masses with legal weapons, and not one Western plane was sent to bomb the presidential palace in Damascus. It would be ridiculous to bomb it now only because four or five bodies with traces of gas on them were found in some remote hospital.
The rebels will cheer on such an aerial attack, and immediately take advantage of it to massacre Assad loyalists. It won't be prettier than Assad's gas bombs. Shortly thereafter, the rebels will begin to pester Israel – so it is best if both sides continue to harass each other. The most moral thing the Americans can do right now is protest and not intervene.
