Syriun Regime Chunge A-Lu-Curte

By JASON HRTHER

COUNTERPUNCH - zq JUY, zo1
AILer commILLIng u IuII dozen ucLs oI wur ucross LIe MIddIe EusL In recenL yeurs, we`re
now LreuLed Lo LIe ubsurd specLucIe oI un AmerIcun generuI wurnIng us oI LIe dungers
oI commILLIng un ucL oI wur. On Monduy, U.S. GeneruI MurLIn Dempsey sLurkIy
ouLIIned opLIons Ior mIIILury ucLIon In SyrIu In u IeLLer Lo LIe SenuLe, rueIuIIy uddIng u
Iew cuveuLs ubouL cosLs und coIIuLeruI dumuge LIuL LrIggered some cIesL-LIumpIng
IIsLrIonIcs In LIe SenuLe. Dempsey`s menu |1| oI wurmongerIng druLIers IncIuded
LruInIng und udvIsIng LIe opposILIon (LIe Lerm 'nonIeLIuI` Is uIwuys excILedIy uppended
Lo udvIsory ucLIvILIes); conducLIng IImILed mIssIIe sLrIkes; esLubIIsIIng u no-IIy zone;
creuLIng buIIer zones; und conLroIIIng cIemIcuI weupons. TIese uddILIonuI opLIons
come even us Congress upproves |z| urms sIIpmenLs Lo SyrIun 'rebeIs`.
mporLunLIy, LIougI, Dempsey dId empIusIze || LIuL LIe use oI Iorce In uny Iorm
wouId be no Iess LIun un ucL oI wur. TIIs muy uppeur Lo be u gIven, buL IL Is noL wILIIn
LIe WusIIngLon bubbIe, Ience LIe need Lo oversLuLe LIe obvIous. OuLruged by LIIs sIow
oI good sense, senIor SenuLor JoIn McCuIn LIreuLened Lo bIock GeneruI Dempsey`s re-
eIecLIon us AmerIcu`s Lop mIIILury uppoInLmenL. McCuIn Ius been cIumorIng Ior u 'no-
IIy zone` Ior monLIs, und IInds LIe GeneruI InsuIIIcIenLIy IosLIIe Lo SyrIun sovereIgnLy.
TIIs Is ILseII ubsurd, sInce Dempsey Iud jusL IuId ouL IIve 'ucLs oI wur` Ior LIe WIILe
House Lo consIder. WIIIe LIe vurIous upproucIes uppeur quILe dIIIerenL primc jccie,
LIey sIure u common objecLIve-LIe end oI LIe BusIur uI-Assud governmenL. As
empIoyed In Ibyu, u nomInuI no-IIy zone beurs IILLIe dIsLIncLIon Irom Dempsey`s
sLund-oII sLrIkes, LIe Iormer provIdIng rIeLorIcuI cover Ior u bruLuI uerIuI ussuuIL on u
counLry`s mIIILury InIrusLrucLure, useIuIIy evudIng CongressIonuI InLerIerence und
erecLIng u posLure oI IusL-resorL IumunILurIun ucLIon.
MucI Lo McCuIn`s conLInuIng cIugrIn, Dempsey uIso useIuIIy deLuIIed some oI LIe
exorbILunL cosLs |q| oI uny oI LIese ucLIons, IncIudIng LIe eye-poppIng $oo mIIIIon
upIronL cosLs Ior u no-IIy zone, IoIIowed by u mere bIIIIon doIIurs u monLI Ior
muInLenunce. ConLroIIIng cIemIcuI weupons wouId run u bIIIIon u monLI, Loo.
(TruInIng unIInged sIumIc jIIudIsLs cume In compuruLIveIy cIeuper, uL jusL $oo
mIIIIon u yeur.) AILer IuyIng ouL LIese cosLs, Dempsey couIdn`L resIsL noLIng wILI duLIIuI
LrepIduLIon LIuL LIese expendILures urIse even us we Iose reudIness due Lo budgeL cuLs
und IIscuI uncerLuInLy. TIIs musL Iuve cuused some dIscomIILure even umong LIe mosL
sLuIwurL deIIcIL Iuwks.
Dempsey uIso perIormed LIe LIresome Iund-wrIngIng punLomIme, noLIng gruve
concerns LIuL weupons or InLeIIIgence couId IuII InLo LIe Iunds oI AI-Quedu uIIIIIuLes
(sucI us LIose we ure buckIng), us weII us remIndIng us Iow IeuvIIy LIese decIsIons
weIgI upon our nobIe cIvIIIun Ieuders. (PerIups we ure meunL Lo conjure Obumu`s
dIscernIng vIsuge, u genLIe Cuesureun wreuLI oI IuureIs cresLIng IIs puLe.) Any oI LIe
ILems on LIe u-Iu-curLe menu, Dempsey noLed, mIgIL produce reLuIIuLory uLLucks und
coIIuLeruI dumuge, mIgIL InudverLenLIy creuLe operuLIonuI zones Ior exLremIsLs or
unIeusI LIe very cIemIcuI weupons we seek Lo conLroI, umong u number oI oLIer
regreLLubIe Iorms oI cIuos. One Ius Lo wonder wIeLIer Dempsey Is IuLe urrIvIng Lo LIe
SyrIun conIIIcL, consIderIng IL Is common knowIedge LIuL urmIng exLremIsL Is LIe
cornersLone oI our SyrIun sLruLegy, or LIuL IL Is quILe possIbIe LIuL LIe exLremIsLs In our
empIoy Iuve uIreudy depIoyed || cIemIcuI weupons In servIce Lo LIeIr dIscredILed
rebeIIIon. PerIups Dempsey ougIL Lo Iook buck Lo Ibyu uguIn Ior u beLLer sense oI wIuL
unInLended consequences reuIIy enLuII-numeIy, desLubIIIzIng deIIcuLeIy buIunced
communILIes InsIde neIgIborIng nuLIons (see MuII |6|) und LIe IndIscrImInuLe dIIIusIon
oI boLI weuponry und sLuLeIess jIIud ucross LIe regIon. L mIgIL uIso beIoove McCuIn Lo
ponder LIe InLernuI eIIecL oI LIe Ibyun no-IIy zone, wIIcI precIpILuLed noL onIy LIe
uIoremenLIoned regIonuI pIenomenon, buL uIso IeIL Ibyu ILseII reduced |;| Lo u
conIecLIon oI sImmerIng secLurIun sLrongIoIds wILI u cowerIng und nomInuIIy
IederuLed governmenL In TrIpoII. TIe onIy quesLIon LIuL remuIns Is wIeLIer LIese
consequences ure unInLended or noL.
L`s IurdIy ubsurd Lo suggesL LIe possIbIIILy LIuL PenLugon someLImes IIkes Lo LrIgger
|8| IuIIed sLuLes. Once ucIIeved, severuI IorLuILous opporLunILIes emerge: Iurge IendIng
regImes move In, condILIonIng uId on LIe cIuInIng oI renuscenL economIes Lo sLrucLuruI
reIorms desIgned Lo reIusIIon LIe counLry us un unIeLLered murkeL Ior WesLern
muILInuLIonuIs; und uIso LIe use oI LIe counLry us u sLugIng Iub Ior mIIILury ucLIons
ucross LIe regIon; und oLIer surrepLILIous desIgns.
BuL noLIIng IeeIs more dIsIngenuous LIun Dempsey`s pronounced concern over
commILLIng un ucL oI wur. s IunneIIng cusI, weupons, und InLeIIIgence Lo mercenury
Iorces In un eIIorL Lo unseuL u sovereIgn governmenL noL ILseII un ucL oI wur? Are noL LIe
pernIcIous und unsuncLIoned drone bombIngs oI cIvIIIuns In PukIsLun, Yemen, und
AIgIunIsLun noL ucLs oI wur? s conducLIng cIundesLIne cyber wurIure |q| wILIIn run un
ucL oI wur? WIuL ubouL IunneIIng mIIIIons Lo opposILIon cundIduLes In IusL yeur`s
VenezueIun eIecLIon-sureIy u serIous provocuLIon uL IeusL?
You`d be Iurd-pressed Lo ImugIne uny oI LIe ubove ucLs beIng Luken uguInsL LIe UnILed
SLuLes LIuL dIdn`L Induce un InsLunLuneous und vIcIous mIIILury repIy-und u deIuge oI
IndIgnunL rIeLorIc Irom LIe WIILe House. mugIne un runIun compuLer vIrus LukIng
down IuII our nLerneL servers. Or u PukIsLunI drone IIquIduLIng u 'LIreuL` In owu. Or
SyrIu IunneIIng urms Lo sIumIsL ceIIs In DeIuwure.
Dempsey sIouId uL IeusL be cognIzunL oI LIe IucL LIuL we`ve been IuuncIIng ucLs oI wur
on u reguIur und unrepenLunL busIs. And perIups LIuL`s wIy IIs modesLIy uIurmIsL
messuge-uIbeIL coucIed In u IresIeL oI regIme-cIunge mecIunIsms-wIII IIkeIy IuII on
deuI eurs In our eIIeLe und enervuLed SenuLe.
Joson Hirthler is c uriter cnd tetercn oj the communicctions industr. He lites
cnd uorls in Neu Yorl Cit cnd ccn be recched ct jcsonhirthlerQmcil.com.
ReIerences:
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