On August 29, the Washington Post published an article titled “Nine Questions About Syria You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask.”
The sixth question listed in this oversimplified piece of rhetoric asks, “Why hasn’t the United States fixed this yet?” This type of question illustrates a fundamental arrogance in the attitude of Americans, with regard to their place in the world and their moral responsibility to “cleaning up messes” in neighborhoods where they never belonged in the first place.
Aside from the attitude issue mentioned above, there are two basic problems with the premise of question six. Firstly, why is there an inherent assumption that this type of situation can be fixed through foreign intervention? Secondly, why is it assumed that it is the United States’ duty, right or moral obligation to fix the international community’s problems?
The conflict in Syria essentially amounts to a civil war in which all parties involved have refused to honor international law, as it pertains to the practice of war. Combatants on both sides of the conflict have failed to abide by the terms of the Geneva Convention, have used guerilla tactics, and have been responsible for civilian deaths and injuries. International laws relating to warfare were instituted in order to regulate the worst excesses of military atrocity, to the benefit those on both sides of the conflict. These laws, at their core, are a social contract that combatants agree to follow for their own benefit. If those involved in the conflict in Syria choose not to adhere to international law, it is unfortunate and to their detriment, but not the concern of the international community.
Some may argue that the fate of the innocent civilians in Syria is a compelling reason for intervention, but unfortunately, this is not an argument that ultimately makes any sense. Refusing to learn from history is detrimental to the overall development of society, and relatively recent history suggests that intervention does nothing to stem the tide of terrible atrocities that may be committed in times of war. Despite international intervention, terrible atrocities were committed in the former Yugoslavian territories, and the United States’ invasion of Iraq opened the door to warfare between religious factions, in turn causing violence that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians since the initial invasion in 2003.
The bottom line is this: military intervention in the current situation in Syria will not stop the killing of innocent civilians. Such intervention will only result in more deaths, and in addition to the Syrian casualties on the ground, American citizens will also pay a price for the proposed endeavor. This price does not only refer to the monetary sacrifice that will have to come out of the pockets of American taxpayers, but also to the opportunity cost—what the money could have been used for—in order to better the lives of civilians that actually live within the borders of the United States. This will all happen as a result of a grueling campaign that the United States would have staged to fight against several warring factions, despite the fact that America never stood any chance of winning said campaign in the first place.
There is no good solution to the current problems plaguing Syria. Having said that, it must be acknowledged that the United States has no obligation to help every failed state, nor does it have any inherent right forcibly to introduce its military presence or democratic values to any sovereign state.
Instead of embarking on grand interventions halfway across the world, America needs to focus on its own domestic problems. As of April 2, 2013, the United States’ combined total public debt was $16.805 trillion. The government introduced spending cuts of $85 billion this past April, in order to attempt to address the national deficit. According to a report by a prominent Harvard University researcher, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will end up costing American taxpayers a total of between four and six trillion dollars. Despite the prevalence of rhetoric regarding the theoretical benefits to the Iraqi and Afghan people, these wars achieved very little, with regard to the protection of innocent life and the fostering of responsible, democratic governance in the affected regions. As a result of these interventions, the United States has been forced to assume massive debts, and has consequently dealt with one of the most devastating economic collapses of recent memory.
Additionally, American primary to post-secondary levels of education are sub-par when compared to other education systems internationally, and the country lacks an adequate public health care system. Millions of American citizens rely on food stamps, while the government is busy spending billions of dollars on foreign interventions, with the ideal of spreading the American brand of democracy to the Middle East and Asia.
The crisis in Syria needs to be the point at which the Obama administration decides to take a stand. Having said that, this stand should not be related to Middle Eastern democracy or the preaching and subsequent enforcement of the American version of morality. The American government’s response to the current situation in Syria is a chance for the realization that interventions cost more than they save for all of the parties involved. It is a chance for the American government to take a stand for the American people, for the welfare of the people who pay taxes to and reside within the physical borders of the United States of America. A precedent must be set that places the focus of the United States’ morality, ingenuity, and tax dollars on its own domestic welfare.
The United States needs to concentrate on its own domestic issues before it goes and preaches its “moral superiority” as a justification to involve itself in the affairs of other countries. President Obama would do well to realize this before deciding to involve the United States in yet another war that will cost money that it does not have to spend and result in the deaths of innocent men and women to no good purpose.
Eliana Glogauer is a student at IDC Herzliya.
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