War is a big deal and it looks like the US is entering into commitments which will likely have us enter the war in Syria.

What are we doing?  There has been no public discussion of the risks and no authorization I am aware of.  One gets a bad feeling.

Does this country have a need to be constantly at war? Let's have a look at this in the coming days.

See:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/06/14/why-obama-is-declaring-war-on-syria/

A war in Syria could easily have the following repercussions:

1. It would quickly become a wider and devastating conflict with Russia, and Iran is sure to become involved on the side of Syria.
Hezbollah will now be involved as well and these are formidable opponents.

This could escalate very quickly with Lebanon, and Jordan becoming battlegrounds as well.

This war will have an unacceptable number of fronts.

War, historically, has been what countries and Presidents do to divert attention away from domestic problems because note war is a gigantic employment program for both private military contractors and the many cities which are dependent upon the military for their income and jobs.

This will paper over, if not sideline, domestic needs and the national debt and taxes will skyrocket because it is us the taxpayers who will have to pay for all this. It will break us and jepordize our kids future. Moreover, war will likely have the effect of eroding our liberties even more, in such a war scenario.

2. The Syrian Army is formidable and it will not topple easily especially if it gets help from Russia, and Iran This is no Iraq especially with Russan backing.

3. Israel will be drawn into this fight and we will have to defend Israel meaning that the war will have at least three fronts.

4. A war means ultimately occupation of the countries involved and of course oil is at state here. Russia will not stand for the US having control of mid-east oil, and, for that matter, nor will China.

5  A last point is that we cannot win a huge war in the middle east surrounded by millions of hostile Arabs.

6. Our intent to pivot to Asia will be affected by any such war and the Chinese might love to see us bogged down in Syria.

7. In war many issues like climate, poverty, infra-structure, budgets, surveillance will all be pushed aside in the name of supporting the war.

 Meantime:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/15/world/meast/syria-civil-war
  

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/15/191934306/russia-says-no-fly-zone-over-syria-would-be-illegal 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/15/us-syria-crisis-idUSBRE95C16L20130615

 http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57589493/egypt-cuts-ties-with-syria-amid-mounting-hard-line-sunni-pressure/

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/al-qaidas-iraq-head-refuses-scrap-syria-merger-19409340

http://news.yahoo.com/u-missiles-jets-stay-jordan-syria-crisis-rages-192414064.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june13/syria2_06-14.html

To be sure we will be treated in the coming days with pleas to support our troops in harms way and by the way a war president can help the democrats win in 2014.

 Also note that angry Arabs will join with the radicals and attacks on this country will escalate, providing more justification for more surveillance and more governmental power. This scenario has been repeated many, many times in history.

 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/15/cia-will-lead-us-effort-to-arm-train-syrian-rebel-forces-fox-confirms/

cwww.pbs.org/newshour/bb/world/jan-june13/syria1_06-14.htmll

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-to-send-4000-troops-to-aid-president-assad-forces-in-syria-8660358.html

 6/17/13

The Global implications of a possible war in Syria

 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/16/191641113/syrian-strife-draws-in-neighbors-global-players?sc=tw

 GOP urges deeper involvement in Syria

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57589947/senators-u.s-must-take-more-decisive-military-action-in-syria/

 6/21/13
Russia warns US over Syria

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE95K17J20130621?irpc=932

 6/22/13
Looks like Iraq enters the war in Syria and US has been there at least a year with authorization.

Iraq supports Assad with troops?

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE95I0ZA20130619?irpc=932

 US has been involved over a year in Syria?

"WASHINGTON — CIA operatives and U.S. special operations troops have been secretly training Syrian rebels with anti-tank and antiaircraft weapons since late last year, months before President Obama approved plans to begin directly arming them, according to U.S. officials and rebel commanders."

 http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-76402747/

 http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/21/world/meast/syria-civil-war/?hpt=hp_t1


Libya involved too?

"Evidence gathered in Syria, along with flight-control data and interviews with militia members, smugglers, rebels, analysts and officials in several countries, offers a profile of a complex and active multinational effort, financed largely by Qatar, to transport arms from Libya to Syria’s opposition fighters. Libya’s own former fighters, who sympathize with Syria’s rebels, have been eager collaborators."

 http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/06/22/world/africa/in-a-turnabout-syria-rebels-get-libyan-weapons.html

 Here come the Russians

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/russia-says-it-will-fulfill-s-300-missile-system-contract-with-syria/2013/06/20/b6baf08a-d98c-11e2-b418-9dfa095e125d_story.html

 http://www.jpost.com/Special-Reports5/Report-US-began-training-Syrian-rebels-in-2012-317346

 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-syria-sectarian-20130623,0,6676599.story

 8/26/13

US naval warships moving closer to Syria

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57599944/u.s-preps-for-possible-cruise-missile-attack-on-syrian-govt-forces/

 http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57599971/syria-options-weighed-as-u.s-forces-move-closer/

Poll shows 60% against war in Syria

 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/25/us-syria-crisis-usa-poll-idUSBRE97O00E20130825

  American, Jordian, Israeli troops have entered Syria-French report

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-22/american-israeli-and-jordanian-troops-and-cia-agents-have-entered-syria-le-figaro-re
 

8/30/13
Al-Qaeda in Syria. Trouble, Trouble

 http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/29/opinion/bergen-al-qaeda-power-syria/ 

  8/31/13  Who might be behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria? Who would benefit from a war in Syria? This fellow claims to know.

Here are some quotes:

"The key to figuring out who is really behind the push for war is to look at who will benefit from that war.  If a full-blown war erupts between the United States and Syria, it will not be good for the United States, it will not be good for Israel, it will not be good for Syria, it will not be good for Iran and it will not be good for Hezbollah.  The party that stands to benefit the most is Saudi Arabia, and they won't even be doing any of the fighting.  They have been pouring billions of dollars into the conflict in Syria, but so far they have not been successful in their attempts to overthrow the Assad regime.  Now the Saudis are trying to play their trump card - the U.S. military.  If the Saudis are successful, they will get to pit the two greatest long-term strategic enemies of Sunni Islam against each other - the U.S. and Israel on one side and Shia Islam on the other.  In such a scenario, the more damage that both sides do to each other the happier the Sunnis will be.

There would be other winners from a U.S. war with Syria as well.  For example, it is well-known that Qatar wants to run a natural gas pipeline out of the Persian Gulf, through Syria and into Europe.  That is why Qatar has also been pouring billions of dollars into the civil war in Syria."

The author goes on to argue that the Saudi Arabia has admitted to furnishing chemical weapons to Jiiahi fighters in Syria and likely they accidently exploded them causing wide spread death.

See source below:

"Syrian rebels in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta have admitted to Associated Press correspondent Dale Gavlak that they were responsible for last week’s chemical weapons incident which western powers have blamed on Bashar Al-Assad’s forces, revealing that the casualties were the result of an accident caused by rebels mishandling chemical weapons provided to them by Saudi Arabia."

http://www.infowars.com/rebels-admit-responsibility-for-chemical-weapons-attack/

http://www.boston.com/video/viral_page/?bctid=2627019933001

It is clear that Syria represents yet another quadmire for the United States with no real pay off.

 8/31/13

Obama states intent to strike Syria, with congressional approval, or without approval?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-set-to-speak-on-syria-in-rose-garden/2013/08/31/65aea210-125b-11e3-85b6-d27422650fd5_story.html

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/middle-east-crisis-of-confidence-in-us-dampens-support-for-syrian-strikes/2013/08/30/32978e82-11a7-11e3-a2b3-5e107edf9897_story.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un-inspectors-leave-syria-as-us-pushes-forward-with-plans-for-military-action/2013/08/31/9d79d88a-121b-11e3-a2b3-5e107edf9897_story.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22424188

Full text of the Obama Statement

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/31/barack-obama-statement-us-intervention-syria

 9/3/13
How good is the US intelligence on Syria?

 http://truth-out.org/news/item/18559-how-intelligence-was-twisted-to-support-an-attack-on-syria

 http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2013/08/the-troodos-conundrum/

 Official White House Statement on Syria

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/30/government-assessment-syrian-government-s-use-chemical-weapons-august-21

Israel the source of Syrian intelligence?
  http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-syria-israel-intelligence-chemical-attack-20130827,0,1940412.story

  9/3/13 Primer on Syria. What you need to know if you don't know anything.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/

 9/4/13

Obama proposes a bigger intervention in Syria in order to win republican votes. Why?

http://www.alternet.org/world/obama-hints-larger-strategy-syria-effort-win-over-republicans?akid=10877.260128.y5GD3E&rd=1&src=newsletter891273&t=4

 Republicans want wider intervention because it directly means profits for their arms dealers, contractors, military towns and arms manufacturers and the surveillance groups.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/john-mccain-syria-amendment-assa

"Obama appeared to respond favourably to McCain's request earlier this week, suggesting that his planned attack on Syria would "fit in" with a wider US policy favouring the departure of Assad.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/03/obama-strategy-assad-republicans-syria

Two days has become 60-90 days, advisors, and regime change now in the mix. Got to read the fine print.
 
Take a look:
 
 "But the committee also voted to accept controversial amendments proposed by hawkish Republican senator John McCain that would explicitly make it a policy of the US to seek to "change the momentum of the battlefield" in ways that would force Assad to negotiate his resignation.

"It is the policy of the United States to change the momentum on the battlefield in Syria so as to create favourable conditions for a negotiated settlement that ends the conflict and leads to a democratic government in Syria," said the second of two amendments proposed by McCain and Democrat Chris Coons.

"A comprehensive US strategy in Syria should aim, as part of a co-ordinated international effort, to degrade the capabilities of the Assad regime to use weapons of mass destruction while upgrading the lethal and non-lethal military capabilities of vetted elements of Syrian opposition forces, including the Free Syrian Army," it added.

 There you have it.

 9/5/13

Boots on the ground? What does the Senate Resolution say?

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-key-sentence-predicts-boots-in-syria-2013-9

 9/6/13

Mapping the Conflict in Syria-Who Holds What Territory?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22798391

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22798391

 9/6/13 Polls show US public skeptical against the war

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/brad-bannon/2013/09/05/polls-show-americans-dont-want-war-in-syria


9/6/13 Pentagon maps targets in Syria

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57601652/u.s-broadens-target-list-for-syria-strike/

 Russian Ships head toward Syria

http://www.rferl.mobi/a/25097867.html

 9/9/13

Russia urges Syria to give up control over chemical weapons?
Sincere or ruse? Who knows. US vows to take proposal seriously.
 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-crisis-russia-tells-assad-to-give-up-his-chemical-weapons-8805772.html

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/09/obama-syria-television-interviews-house-senate/2786137/

 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/09/kerry-comment-could-undermine-obama-push-for-syria-strike/

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/09/russia-syria/2785703/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24022866

Syria agrees to Russian Plan?

 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-09/syria-welcomes-proposal-to-surrender-chemical-weapons/4946928

 9/1213
Destroying Chemical Weapons Ain't So Easy-Here's Why.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-11/the-risky-business-of-destroying-chemical-weapons?google_editors_picks=true

 

9/13/13

Assad and Chemical Weapons. Will it be easy to destroy them?

http://www.policymic.com/articles/62911/syria-chemical-weapons-this-is-how-you-disarm-them

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10306852/Syria-Bashar-al-Assad-has-spread-chemical-weapons-around-50-sites.html


http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/world/middleeast/listing-demands-assad-uses-crisis-to-his-advantage.html?from=homepage

 http://rt.com/news/assad-syria-russia-proposal-773/

What are the games of negotiation?

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/09/13/everything-is-a-negotiation-how-to-understand-the-obama-putin-assad-standoff/?clsrd

9/14/13
US-Syria-Putin cut deal on chemical weapons. But few details.

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/14/us-russia-reach-agreement-on-syria-weapons/2813195/

 9/16/13

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/16/cracks-us-russia-syrian-chemical-weapons

9/18/13

Russians claim to produce evidence the rebels used Sarin gas not Syrian government?

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24140475



9/27/13

Syria Chemical Weapons Easier To Destroy Than Previously Thought and UN deal on Syria Confirmed

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/most-of-syrias-toxins-can-be-destroyed-more-easily-than-officials-initially-thought/2013/09/26/66cd1ca2-26e3-11e3-b75d-5b7f66349852_story.html

 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/world/middleeast/security-council-agrees-on-resolution-to-rid-syria-of-chemical-arms.html?_r=0