WAR: US recently weighed military strikes in Syria

Newsweek magazine has issued a report that the US recently debated on launching military strikes on insurgent camps in Syria. The article says that the proposal was blocked by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice argued that diplomatic isolation would be a better option. The U.N. is set to release a report that may implicate Syria in the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri. The US has repeatedly accused Syria of allowing insurgents to move fighters and weapons across its border with Iraq.



Part of me wonders if this is just a staged publicity move to give Rice the appearance of more power than she actually has. Or to make her appear to be more approachable than others in the Bush cabinet. At any rate Syria is a problem, but air-strikes would do nothing, but whip up more anti American sentiment. Syria has also ended all military and intelligence assistance to the US apparently frustrated with criticism directed at it. I doubt the US has the ability to go it alone and open up a second front with Syria. Staged event or not, I'm glad to see the diplomatic approach being used.

Makes sense to me that the U.S. would periodically consider actions to reduce Syria's tacit support of the insurgents and the terrorists inside Iraq. I would imagine they do the same with regards to Iran.

Syria can get as radical as they want, but they had better keep some control over actions spilling over into Lebannon, Iraq and their other neighbors or they might find themselves in serious trouble.