Credit: Department of State/wikimedia
Last night, former Secretary of State and former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice told CBS Evening News that the U.S. doesn't have the option of doing nothing in Syria:
There is no doubt that it is time for the United States to make clear that it is going to engage in this effort to stop the difficult situation in Syria and to prevent its further spread, it's already spreading across the region. So, the United States doesn't have an option of no action.
Rice went on to highlight the number of players involved in the conflict in Syria:
When you have Iranian fighters in Syria, when you have Hezbollah in Syria, when you have the Syrians shelling the Beqaa valley in Lebanon, when you have the Israelis taking out Syrian installations because they fear for Israeli security you have a very serious situation on your hands and the United States really doesn't have an option to sit on the sidelines.
All of the above sound like great reasons for not getting involved in the conflict. I have written before about how the complexity of the situation in Syria provides some of the best arguments against intervention.
In her CBS appearance Rice doesn't once mention the fact that Assad's opposition includes fighters with links to Al Qaeda, an issue that those arguing for intervention in Syria have yet to adequately address. If a no-fly zone put in place or weapons are sent to rebels in Syria there is no way to guarantee that this wouldn't benefit jihadists.
Thankfully, Rice's thoughts on the situation in Syria are not shared by most Americans. A Gallup poll published on May 31 shows that 68 percent of Americans do not believe that the U.S. should use military action in Syria even if economic and diplomatic efforts fail.
Watch Rice's comments on Syria below:
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