U.S. Weighs Bolder Effort to Intervene in Syria’s Conflict

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/world/us-is-weighing-stronger-action-in-syrian-conflict.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp

By Aldo Iván Ibarra Avilés

133797

Modern Political Thought

Wednesday, November 28th 2012

In this news I read from The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/world/us-is-weighing-stronger-action-in-syrian-conflict.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&hp talks about how the Obama Administration is taking a close look to the set of actions they are going to take toward the Syrian conflict. It says that so far the present administration at The White House has been very cautious and intervening in the Middle East in a military way needs to be very careful.It says also on how this conflict is affecting other interests and other countries, the first example is clearly Turkey. Turkey is being studied as a strategical point for the U.S. supplies (military and humanitarian) and also for the NATO to place possible sites for the batteries. It is also affecting the tension between Middle East countries, such as Iran allied with Syria and Egypt that is on the U.S. side. 

The Obama Administration is passing through a critical moment, it is time to name a new national security team, including the new secretaries of state and defense, the new C.I.A. director, and more, so drastic decisions are going to wait some days more. Some intelligence already been done in the area is considering the risk of decisions taken in Washington may be too late, they say that they may take advantage in providing war supplies, but they will loose control over the ground war.Finally, for the moment they support the idea of placing batteries along the Turkey border, as an strategic plan and also because of the request of Turkey itself to be more protected. 

This article is very interesting because things on the Middle East have been very difficult in the last months. The internal conflicts within the area are reaching a critical point and any crazy move from either a radical group, a government, anyone, can complicate not only the region, but the whole world.

I would say the conflict is going beyond a nationalist problem, religious groups from the allies are also supporting rebels and others supporting the authorities in the country, There have been U.N. attempts to pacify the conflict, but a divided Security Council with a veto from Russia and China have complicated the missions. Religion is also taking big importance in the recent conflicts, it is not also a revolutionary group against the people in the head of the power. Recent conflict, once again, between Israel and Palestine, intensity in Egypt´s protests, Iran waiting for the opportunity to make a move, tension in the zone is already on the red zone and allies need to play their cards very carefully.

Obama is going to make very important decisions in the next weeks, even his first four years have been characterized as somehow pacific, not getting involved in wars and retrieving troops from some countries occupied in the past, I think this conflict in the Middle East is perfect to prove the real diplomatic power of the U.S. in a modern world. Opportunity to calm many alarm spots is there and now, Obama needs to pass from a passive international political actor and start being more active, and show the world that they still are the most powerful country in the World.