2017+Bombing+Syria

=Bombing Syria and America's Role in the World 2017=

Last week, the Syrian Government of Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons in an air attack on civilians in a rebel held city in Syria. The effects were horrific, and are considered to be a war crime. By international agreement in 2013, Syria was to have worked with the U.S. and Russia to get rid of its stockpile of chemical weapons following an earlier use against civilians during the ongoing civil war. At this time, the U.S. and other nations are also fighting to contain the terrorist group ISIS in Syria which controls a significant amount of territory. During this war, over 400,000 civilians have lost their lives and over 5 million have been displaced to refugee camps within Syria or in neighboring countries: Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.

In response to the chemical attack, on Friday, President Trump ordered a cruise missile attack against the air base from which the chemical weapons were flown to send a clear signal that chemical weapons were never to be used again, and if they were, that the U.S. would respond even more severely. Negotiations have ensued with NATO allies and at the UN to pursue political means to bring an end to the Syrian Civil War.

The situation in Syria is extremely complicated as the video below explores. (Thanks Joseph Liang for providing the link). Additionally, the U.S. role in the World has become unclear both to the World and to Americans as a result of global changes, and changing American politics since 2000. For options for the U.S. are:

1. Lead the World to Democracy 2. Protect U.S. Global Interests 3. Build a More Cooperative World 4. Protect the American Homeland


 * Question 1- Do you approve of President Trump's decision to respond militarily to Syria's use of chemical weapons against its own people?**
 * Question 2- What do you think the U.S. should be prepared to do next in Syria?**
 * Question 3- Overall, what do you think the U.S. role in the World Should be in the 21st Century? Which of the 4 futures (explained below) do you think makes the most sense for the United States to pursue? Why?**

Your posts can address any or all of the above questions.

=Situation in Syria Overview.=

media type="youtube" key="JFpanWNgfQY" width="560" height="315"

=**America's Four Possible Futures**=


 * Follow this link to even more detail about these options: America's Four Futures**

__**FUTURE 1: Lead the World to Democracy**__ The United States is the most powerful nation in the world. The world depends on us to maintain peace and order and to support the principles of democracy, free markets, and freedom. We must acknowledge and embrace the important role we play. Today’s international system was built around American ideals and power. International security structures are chiefly a collection of Americanled alliances. Americans created the international financial institutions. International principles of human rights are actually American and Western European ideas. These American values are the standard by which all other systems should be measured. U.S. actions abroad must reflect our country’s commitment to our core principles of freedom, justice, and democracy. Many states remain in the hands of cruel and undemocratic leaders who terrorize their own people, threaten their neighbors, and breed unrest around the world. Such tyrants pose a danger to global peace and security. Neither collective security nor the United Nations can be counted on to deal with these threats. When it comes to dealing with tyrants, especially with those that are a threat to security, our policy should not be one of coexistence, but transformation.

__**FUTURE 2: Protect U.S. Global Interests**__ We live in a dangerously unstable world. U.S. foreign policy must strive for order and security. International terrorism, chaos in the Middle East, poverty and despair in the developing world, and global economic competition have created an international minefield for U.S. leaders. To navigate through these unpredictable times, we cannot be distracted by crusading idealists—either those who want to impose American-style democracy on the world or those who think the world can cooperate to solve the world’s problems. Nor can our interests be curtailed by short-sighted isolationists. We must engage with the world selectively in order to promote U.S. interests. We must focus our energies on protecting our own security, cultivating our key trade relationships, ensuring our access to crucial raw materials, and stopping the spread of nuclear weapons to unfriendly nations or to terrorist networks. Whenever possible, we should use our influence to engage other nations so that we don’t have to shoulder the load alone. However, when this fails we must be ready and able to act—alone if necessary—to protect ourselves against any threats to our security and prosperity. In this competitive era, we cannot afford to sacrifice important trade ties or become bogged down in crusades in parts of the world where our vital interests are not at stake to advance rigid political ideals. Neither should we give up our influence in international affairs for the sake of global cooperation. Americans have no choice but to accept the world as it is and respond pragmatically and selectively with whatever actions are necessary to keep our country safe and strong.

__**FUTURE 3: Build a More Cooperative World**__ Today’s world is interdependent and interconnected. We cannot stand alone. National boundaries can no longer halt the spread of AIDS, international drug trafficking, terrorism, and other global scourges. Environmental problems threaten the ecology of the entire planet. Financial panic spreads like wildfire with the speed of the Internet. Political upheaval anywhere in the world can send waves of refugees to U.S. shores. We must take the initiative to bring the nations of the world together. We have no choice but to play a leadership role in strengthening the UN’s role in maintaining international security, and responding to environmental pollution, financial crises, refugees, AIDS, and other global problems. We must be willing to give up a portion of our independent authority, or sovereignty, to the UN and offer our military, intelligence, and economic support to UN-led initiatives. We should use military force outside of North America only under the leadership of the UN or other regional security institutions in which we participate. In addition, we should join with Japan, Western Europe, and other wealthy allies to help the countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America lift themselves out of poverty. Building a more cooperative world will not be easy. In the end, however, we must recognize that our fate as Americans is bound together with the fate of all of humanity.

__**FUTURE 4: Protect the U.S. Homeland**__ The attacks of September 11, 2001 brought a new message to Americans. We have been attacked on our own homeland and we feel a vulnerability not felt in more than fifty years. Since the late 1940s, the United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars a year defending our allies in Western Europe and East Asia and distributed tens of billions more in foreign aid to countries throughout the developing world. And what do we have to show for our efforts? Our high-profile foreign policy programs have only bred resentment against us and made us enemies. Our recent military involvement overseas—most notably in Iraq—makes this situation even worse. When we took the initiative to remove Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq, even our traditional allies turned against us. Enough is enough. It is time to turn our national attention to the real threats facing Americans: a sagging economy, loss of jobs, decaying schools, a shaky health care system, and inadequate resources to protect against terrorism. We must sharply scale back our foreign involvement. U.S. troops overseas should be brought home and strict limits put on military spending. As Americans, we have to put our own needs first.