Peace talks have failed as the death toll in Syria climbs to well over 100,000 souls. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said, “In Syria we are witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in a generation”. Yet the world continues to look on and do nothing. Analysts everywhere are quick to point out that President Obama is rightfully haunted by the ghost of Iraq and the legacy of George W. Bush. Be that as it may, history did not begin in 2003 and President Obama risks ignoring a legacy as dark and horrifying as the decade of squandered life and limb in Iraq. It is time to pay attention to Clinton’s ghosts.
In the early 1990s, the American people were as tired of war as they are now, but that did not prevent conflicts from erupting around the globe. In Africa, we saw some of the most horrific crimes against humanity perpetrated since Hitler waged the Holocaust. The ethnic cleansing and genocide of World War II were back with a vengeance. There was one difference though: the whole world and its newly-minted superpower, the United States, stood by and watched 800,000 Rwandans die over the course of one hundred days.
The legacy of this has been a vortex of ethnic violence that has rushed around the great lakes region of Africa for decades. If any ghost should haunt President Obama, it is this one. Today, we find ourselves in the same political climate of the early 1990s and are once again faced with the mass slaughter of innocents, a problem from hell.
That is not to say that in the 1990s President Clinton and the international community always did nothing in the face of crises far from home. In some cases they simply did too little, too late. Failed peacekeeping missions in Somalia prompted the Clinton administration to take robust action. However, the American people then, as they are now, were not open to an open-ended commitment or boots on the ground.
The agreed-upon alternative was to send in Black Hawk helicopters with an assault force to get in, get Aideed, and get out. This overly light-footprint operation would lead to the loss of two Blackhawk helicopters, casualties, and the naked corpse of an Army Ranger being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. The mission was a failure, the U.S. abandoned Somalia, and war raged on. The legacy of doing too little, too late in Somalia is obvious when looking at the failed state and hotbed of terrorism it is today.
Although President Clinton held office during a time of great economic prosperity at home, episodes within his legacy abroad haunt the world to this day. These are Clinton’s ghosts.
As Secretary of State Kerry has said, “The American people are tired of war, but that does not absolve us of our responsibility”. As parts of Syria are leveled, its people killed, and its regional neighbors buckle under the weight of 2.5 million refugees, President Obama must not allow Iraq’s ghost to stay his hand any longer.
It is clear that peace talks just are not working and that President Assad will not stop killing his fellow men, women, and children. The international community is finally open to changing course in Syria, and Clinton’s ghosts need to be part of the debate. It is time to do the right thing, not just the politically easy thing.
There are many options available to end the bloodshed in Syria. Recent multilateral success in ousting Muammar Gaddafi is proof that with the U.S. president on board, the international community can come together to fulfill its responsibility to protect. The consequences for the entire region are too great not to.
It is time for President Obama to listen to Clinton’s ghosts.
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Clinton’s Ghosts: President Obama and Syria
March 3, 2014
Peace talks have failed as the death toll in Syria climbs to well over 100,000 souls. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said, “In Syria we are witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis we have seen in a generation”. Yet the world continues to look on and do nothing. Analysts everywhere are quick to point out that President Obama is rightfully haunted by the ghost of Iraq and the legacy of George W. Bush. Be that as it may, history did not begin in 2003 and President Obama risks ignoring a legacy as dark and horrifying as the decade of squandered life and limb in Iraq. It is time to pay attention to Clinton’s ghosts.
In the early 1990s, the American people were as tired of war as they are now, but that did not prevent conflicts from erupting around the globe. In Africa, we saw some of the most horrific crimes against humanity perpetrated since Hitler waged the Holocaust. The ethnic cleansing and genocide of World War II were back with a vengeance. There was one difference though: the whole world and its newly-minted superpower, the United States, stood by and watched 800,000 Rwandans die over the course of one hundred days.
The legacy of this has been a vortex of ethnic violence that has rushed around the great lakes region of Africa for decades. If any ghost should haunt President Obama, it is this one. Today, we find ourselves in the same political climate of the early 1990s and are once again faced with the mass slaughter of innocents, a problem from hell.
That is not to say that in the 1990s President Clinton and the international community always did nothing in the face of crises far from home. In some cases they simply did too little, too late. Failed peacekeeping missions in Somalia prompted the Clinton administration to take robust action. However, the American people then, as they are now, were not open to an open-ended commitment or boots on the ground.
The agreed-upon alternative was to send in Black Hawk helicopters with an assault force to get in, get Aideed, and get out. This overly light-footprint operation would lead to the loss of two Blackhawk helicopters, casualties, and the naked corpse of an Army Ranger being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. The mission was a failure, the U.S. abandoned Somalia, and war raged on. The legacy of doing too little, too late in Somalia is obvious when looking at the failed state and hotbed of terrorism it is today.
Although President Clinton held office during a time of great economic prosperity at home, episodes within his legacy abroad haunt the world to this day. These are Clinton’s ghosts.
As Secretary of State Kerry has said, “The American people are tired of war, but that does not absolve us of our responsibility”. As parts of Syria are leveled, its people killed, and its regional neighbors buckle under the weight of 2.5 million refugees, President Obama must not allow Iraq’s ghost to stay his hand any longer.
It is clear that peace talks just are not working and that President Assad will not stop killing his fellow men, women, and children. The international community is finally open to changing course in Syria, and Clinton’s ghosts need to be part of the debate. It is time to do the right thing, not just the politically easy thing.
There are many options available to end the bloodshed in Syria. Recent multilateral success in ousting Muammar Gaddafi is proof that with the U.S. president on board, the international community can come together to fulfill its responsibility to protect. The consequences for the entire region are too great not to.
It is time for President Obama to listen to Clinton’s ghosts.
