Will U.S. action save the Syrian people?
Anderson talked about the latest developments in Syria with Fouad Ajami, Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, National Security Analyst Fran Townsend, who currently sits on the Homeland Security and CIA external advisory boards, Christopher Dickey, Middle East Editor for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, as well as retired Army Major General James “Spider” Marks. The panel discussed how a U.S. response may impact Assad and the future of Syria.
Watch part two:
The panel talks about the White House's timetable for action in Syria.
Watch part three:
Predictions about what may happen next in Syria.
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Post by: Anderson Cooper Filed under: Bashar al-Assad • Christopher Dickey • Fouad Ajami • Fran Townsend • Major General Spider Marks • President Barack Obama • Syria |
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Excellent program revealing background of the Assad family, which is very important information that should be considered by Congress before making their vote as to whether or not to attack Syria. Based on this information, President Bashar Assad's behavior and ruling as dictator, began with his father - and they seem to thrive on hate and killing. Therefore, nothing will change on a long term basis regardless of an attack to degrade or remove chemical weaons. They have no regard for human life, that is part of their deeply seeded within their culture. No matter how much we as Americans, want to save human lives, especially children - an attack on that country cannot possibly bring about a permanent change. However, as a result of military action, who knows if a catastrophic war could erupt throughout the middle-east. And let us not forget that next week is the anniversary for "9-11" ... is that being considered by this adminstration? God help us!
Is the United Nations a viable Agency or "the old dog with no teeth?"
Where is diplomacy? America is on the verge of acting on it's own
(right or wrong). Our latest efforts spent convincing our own Congress
and People that we need to act. To enforce International Law. Where is
the same effort to build and support an International Agency. Or is
the world so corrupt that the dream of a United Nations impossible?
Now we are at another red-line, not a U.S. red-line. A red-line that
we determined in 1945 with the Charter of the United Nations.
I think that the US government must send a message to al-Assad–his corrupt regime cannot destroy his own people or try to strong arm other nations with the use of chemical weapons, or other use of force. Al-Assad, and his other despotic allies will be revealed and punished, as all true war criminals should be!
I would like to hear the victim's of 9/11 and I would like to hear the relatives of the victim's of 9/11. To find out their opinion on whether the U.S. should strike assad to help al qeda. Al qaeda is the mastermind of 9/11
Good job, I would like to know also. So who's side are we taking Hezbollah's or Al Qaedas? We have no business getting involved in this feud.
Let the Muslim brotherhood deal with this. America is not part of the Muslim brotherhood. Let them send their kids brothers and sisters there, do not send ours.
What do you mean by Muslim Brotherhood? Muslim Brotherhood is a party in Egypt which was democratically elected and recently thrown out of power by a Military Coup.They are fighting for their life in Egypt. So, how does the Syrian war become a war b/n Alqaida and Hizbullah? One thing i can agree with you is that no need for US Military intervention. Political solution is the way to go, and this requires improving relations with Russia. But we saw Obama cancel 1-1 meeting with Putin because of Snowden, a very foolish move. It is highly likely that the so called "evidence" is fabricated. It does not make sense to me how an advancing and a winning army would use chemical weapons guaranteeng a military invasion by the west? Common sense tells me this can not happen but it beg the question why and how? This seems to be (1) a setup by the opposition (2) other foreign players (3) by rogue elements within Assad's Army. One of the theree. I refuse to believe that Assad himself ordered it if it is indeed from his side. This does not take a rocket scientist, it is not that complicated.
The syrian rebels don't need al qaeda. The syrian opposition have 6 million men of fighting age. If the syrian rebels want our help. The syrian rebels FIRST MUST GET RID OF AL QAEDA
From a strategic military polint of view, we have nothing to gain by striking assad and a lot to lose if we do it. If we strike assad for 3 days. It will take assad 3 months to rebuild what we destroyed. Assad will just get from the russians, iranians what we destroyed. If we have a long campaing against assad, we will destroy assad's military, assad will fall, and al qaeda will take over. We will have to then fight al qaeda
The syrian opposition have 6 million men of fighting age. Yet the syrian army only have a 40,000 men army. The syryan rebels have such a small army, because most of the syrian opposition don't want to fight assad. The syrian opposition is extremelly fragmented into dozens of separate groups. This is one of the reasons, this syrian conflict can last decades
The syrian rebels are disorganized. It took one year for some of the syrian opposition groups to decide to take arms and fight assad
Dear Anderson.
I am an American citizen of Egyptian origin. If we are a nation of laws and justice, then we have to act based on facts not fiction. If the forbidden gas is used, then we should find the perpetrator first. Before we discover that we are killing innocent people, including our own due to lake of evidence.
The gas could be inflected by the opponent groups, anti-Assad forces too! Why we are falling short from identifying the criminal before we commit ourselves to another selective act of WAR!
Both forces are on the crime scene and one gun on the floor, who is the killer? Simply put, find finger prints, forensic evidence, DNA!!
I wish to see our Congress and Elected representative standing up for” US THE AMERICAN PEOPLE”.
I like to see the President and all the generals and the war lovers focused on our nation prosperity and improving our life as American.
Enough wars .Why we are forgetting the laws!