The Syrian civil war has claimed over 400,000 lives. Apart from the high death toll, the war has also brought the country to its knees. Livelihoods have been lost and the country’s future hangs in the balance. The international community has attempted to resolve the war but so far, these efforts have had little success. The United States is among the members of the international community that have been heavily involved in the conflict. Initially, the US supported rebel groups that sought to depose the government of Bashar Al Assad. This strategy has clearly failed. If the US is to be successful in its efforts to restore peace and secure the lives of the Syrian people, it needs to expand its military presence and operations in Syria.
Various atrocities have been committed against civilian populations in Syria. For example, the Syrian government stands accused of using chemical weapons against defenseless civilians (Irish & Louet, 2018). It is unfortunate that the government has used chemical weapons against its own people multiple times. Together with the rest of the international community, the United States has usually responded with harsh rhetoric. For example, the Obama administration noted that the Assad regime had crossed the red line when it used chemical weapons that devastated Syrian civilians (Houeix, 2016). Despite the strong words from the American government, the Syrian authorities continue to use chemical weapons. It is evident that harsh rhetoric and strong condemnation re ineffective strategies. Instead of issuing warnings, the US needs to launch a full military operation. The operation will allow the US government to make it clear to the Assad regime that the use of chemical weapons will not go unchecked.
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As it expands its military involvement in the Syrian civil war, the US government will discourage the Syrian authorities against attacking vulnerable populations. In addition to protecting the Syrian people, an expanded American military presence in Syria, the US will also be able to tackle terrorist threats. Such terrorist networks as the Islamic State have exploited the instability in Syria to establish roots (Lister, 2017). The Syrian government cannot be trusted to dedicate resources for tackling the terrorist threats. It is true that remarkable progress has been made in the battle against the Islamic State in Syria. However, this group continues to pose a threat and could resurface. If the Islamic State is to be decisively defeated, the US must expand its military operations in Syria.
When it became involved in the Syrian civil war, regime change was the main purpose that the US sought to achieve. For the most part, the government has been unable to achieve this purpose. If anything, the Assad regime is becoming stronger. Recently, rebel groups gave up territories that it controlled (Karlin, 2018). It is only a question of time before the Assad regime regains total control of the country. If this happens, the US will have lost the effort to depose the Assad government. To prevent this government from gaining a stronger grip on the country, a more robust American military presence is needed in Syria. In the past, the US has used military interventions to depose governments accused of committing unspeakable atrocities against their people. For example, thanks to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the US managed to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein. Therefore, to deny the Assad regime victory, the US should expand its military presence in Syria.
The discussion above has highlighted the reasons why the US should revamp its military operations in Syria. While there is a strong basis for an expanded military presence, the US needs to proceed with caution. There are some who might argue that an expanded military operation could end catastrophically. In the past, the US has sent its troops to various countries. Many soldiers have died and the US has failed to achieve the goals of the military operation. For example, since the overthrow of the Saddam government, Iraq continues to grapple with militant insurgency. Armed assaults and suicide bombings perpetrated by terrorist groups are common. The current military operations in Syria can also be considered to be a failure. A number of American soldiers have died in this operation (Sonne, Dawsey & Loveluck, 2018). While there are costs that the US will incur when it expands its military presence, the country needs to proceed and redouble its military efforts. Recently, the Trump government announced that it would adopt an open-ended approach to its military presence in Syria (“US Plans Open-Ended”, 2018). This announcement means that the government recognizes that it needs to remain actively involved in the Syrian conflict. Therefore, instead of withdrawing, the US government should commit more troops and resources.
In conclusion, the Syrian civil war continues to claim the lives of civilians. This far, the US has been rather restrained in its involvement in this conflict. It has watched as the Syrian authorities use chemical weapons such as sarin on civilian populations. Given its position on the global geopolitical stage, the US has a mandate to respond to the plight of the Syrian people. It needs to expand its military operations. As it deploys more troops, it will be able to defeat terrorist groups based in Syria and reverse the gains that the oppressive Syrian government has made in recent months. As it sends more troops to Syria, the US government should be careful so that it does not repeat the mistakes of the past.
References
Irish, J., & Louet, S. (2018). France has proof Syrian government conducted chemical weapons
Attack: Macron. Reuters. Retrieved May 27, 2018 from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-france/france-has-proof-syrian-government-conducted-chemical-weapons-attack-macron-idUSKBN1HJ1M5
Houeix, R. (2016). A history of the Syria chemical weapons ‘red line’. France 24. Retrieved
May 27, 2018 from http://www.france24.com/en/20180414-syria-chemical-weapons-red-line-obama-macron-assad-russia-usa-france-idlib
Karlin, M. (2018). After 7 years of war, Assad has won in Syria. What’s next for Washington?
Brookings Institution. Retrieved May 27, 2018 from
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/02/13/after-7-years-of-war-assad-has-won-in-syria-whats-next-for-washington/
Lister, T. (2017). Bigger battles are rising from the ashes of the war on ISIS. CNN. Retrieved
May 27, 2018 from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/21/middleeast/war-on-isis-bigger-battles/index.html
Sonne, P., Dawsey, J., & Loveluck, L. (2018). US soldier killed in roadside bombing in Syria.
Mercury News. Retrieved May 27, 2018 from https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/03/30/us-soldier-killed-in-roadside-bombing-in-syria/
U.S. Plans Open-Ended Military Presence in Syria. (2008). BBC. Retrieved May 27, 2018
From http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42731222
