The U.S. has long been a country that strongly believes in the importance of military power and prowess. This country seems to believe it is our job to patrol the world ensuring that no country steps too far out of line. However, sometimes these missions do not go according to plan, and end up taking years longer than anticipated to complete, or sometimes we just give up. Just look at the Korean War, Vietnam and especially the Iraq war. So as the U.S. contemplates engaging in a military conflict with Syria, it seems to me that this country should take a step back and think about the consequences. I think the U.S. should seriously consider its mentality towards war and its thought process when deciding whether or not to engage in war.
Firstly, President Obama and Congress need to consider what Syria’s response will be to a military strike. Will Syria retaliate against its own people? Will Syria become aggressive towards the U.S.? Both of these would be unfavorable outcomes, and would negatively affect the very people that this military operation would intend to protect. They need to consider the monetary implications of engaging in yet another conflict.
The Iraq War has costed the American taxpayers more than $800 billion since 2003. The initial projection from the Bush administration said the war would cost us about $60 billion dollars. Right now, the president is assuring us that no matter what happens that the U.S. will not put boots on the ground in Syria. After the war in Iraq, I think it makes every American a little uneasy thinking about another military operation in the Middle East.
Lastly, I think it is important to consider that the people in control of the government in Syria have no intentions of giving up without a fight.
Going into Syria with the intention of making a difference using only military strikes is not realistic. That leads us to the decision on whether the U.S. should engage in yet another war or for once, let the Middle East run its course without our involvement.
I understand there are people suffering in Syria, and that the Middle East is imperative for U.S. oil imports. However, maybe this should be a wake-up call to the American people that we need to focus on becoming more self-sufficient, and that unfortunately we do not have the money nor the resources to be the world’s police.