Monday, September 09, 2013

The Russians Get the Syrians to Destroy Chemical Weapons? Win, Win, Win

The great news coming out the Syrian crisis would be a win for everyone. 

A win for the Syrian people, first and foremost, who would no longer be gassed by their government.

A win for the United States and its allies in not having to bomb the Syrian weapon capacity.

A win for the Russians in showing that they have the power to help, and actually helping.

It is probably also a win, if only temporary, for the Syrian the dictatorship, in showing that they are slightly less awful than they could possibly be.

This is not a done deal, of course, but it certainly would be happy news if it can be brought home.

3 comments:

Pooch said...

Just when will this happen?

Jared said...

I was actually thinking of you and this blog on the drive in to the office this morning, listening to the pre-Russian plan news on NPR.

suppose the "Russian option" didn't exist. What, at this point of the story, would be the centrist position?

Gruntled said...

There are always several possible centrist options.

The one I would favor would be limited military action aimed directly at the chemical weapons and the specific military unit that deployed them - all under a U.N. umbrella.

The chemical weapons treaty is a world treaty for everyone's protection, and defending it is really separable from actions to topple the Assad regime.