Syria: An Example of American Weakness | Eastern North Carolina Now

    What was once a bustling Syrian city in Aleppo is now not much more than an ash-heap, and while the responsibility for the violence itself falls solely on the Assad Regime, Russia and ISIS, responsibility for the escalation of the conflict falls on the shoulders of the United States. Not because of anything we did, persay, but more so what we failed to do. President Obama made a clear threat to the Assad Regime when he stated that the use of chemical or biological weapons would be the "red line", and that crossing that line would result in a military intervention. Assad did, however, use chemical weapons on his people, and President Obama did nothing in response. This, in effect, acted as a blank permission slip to the Syrian regime to do whatever they wanted without fearing repercussion from the United States.

    The result of this refusal to act has been the absolute destruction of not only Aleppo, but most of the rest of Syria as well. It has led to the incineration of countless civilians, including women and children, largely at the hands of the Syrian government and Russian air support. It has also led to the creation and expansion of one of the most severe refugee situations in world history, and by far the worst since the Second World War. This refugee crisis has decimated our Western European allies, both from a cultural standpoint, as multiculturalism tends to always fail and has fared no better there, and from a security standpoint, as radicalized refugees have been responsible for a large chunk of the many terrorist attacks that have swept across the region.

    Moreover, what has been perhaps the most consequential outcome of all of this has been the triumph of Russia. Not only have they inched closer to dominance in the Middle East, with their backing of Assad and tightening relationship with Iran, but they have done so with no meaningful opposition. More so than any other actor, Vladimir Putin has been emboldened by the softness of Obama's decisions in Syria. Ever since becoming militarily involved in the Syrian Civil War a little over a year ago, Russia has received little more than some stern rebuking from President Obama and various American diplomats. This occurs as Putin's military commits war crimes. Still, in his final press conference of the year, Obama had the audacity to claim that "Almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than it was eight years ago." I'm sure that Vladimir Putin is still laughing at that one.

    Obama also claimed that,"The Assad regime cannot slaughter its way to legitimacy." The problem is, however, that unless the United States acts to stop him, he certainly can and almost certainly will. Admittedly, the regime change ship began to sail when President Obama decided against acting on his now infamous "red line" threat, and sunk when Russia became heavily involved. However, this does not mean that it is too late for a reassertion of American strength. Many are quick to forget that although Vladimir Putin has been aggressive in the face of a weak America, he is by no means irrational and not stupid enough to go to war with the United States at this point. President Obama should keep this in mind as he tries to reconcile the situation over the course of his last month in office, as should President-Elect Trump as he works to form his Syria policy. While the Assad regime and Russia are well on the way to winning the civil war and maintaining power, there are still plenty of civilian lives to be saved there and plenty of terrorists to kill, which should be our two primary focuses in Syria going forward. Accomplishing both of these things will require a drastic change from the past eight years of American foreign policy as well as a willingness to stand up to global actors, like Putin, who have dangerous ambitions and a deep-rooted hatred for the United States. Moreover, the Syria debacle is full of lessons for President-Elect Trump, and we should all pray that he is willing to learn them.