Thursday, March 31, 2011

On Syria not even 'milder options' are weighed.

"... Yet the administration has made it clear that the military option is not "on the table," in Syria, where dozens of protesters also have been killed. A senior administration official confirmed that even milder measures, such as a tightening of U.S. sanctions, withdrawal of the ambassador to Syria, or other efforts at economic or diplomatic isolation are not being weighed.
Both countries are within reach of missiles and warplanes launched from U.S. ships in the Mediterranean... The explanation is difficult in part because it has less to do with humanitarian issues than with harder calculations of national interest... "I don't know if those circumstances (Libya) could be duplicated anyplace else," Obama told ABC News on Tuesday. He added that in each case, he needed to measure the national and international interest, and the possibility of success versus the risks involved.
While the death toll has risen in Syria, officials point out that it is still far lower than the thousands feared killed in Libya, (and probably much lower than the thousands killed by Mubarak, or for that matter, the Al Khalifas in Bahrain)...
In Syria, U.S. officials worry..."

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