At The National Interest Dave Majumdar makes a plea for restraint on the U. S.’s part with respect to Syria:
Thus, while it is easy to start a conflict with Russia and Syria, a shooting war could easily escalate out of control. It might be prudent to exercise restraint before launching a new war—against a nuclear-armed power—that the American people don’t necessarily want to fight. That’s especially true in a conflict where the lines are blurry and there are no clear-cut good guys—where even so-called “moderate†rebels backed by the U.S. government are beheading children. Under such circumstances, the best policy for the United States might simply be to leave well enough alone—there is simply no need to stick our fingers into yet another hornet’s nest.
“Don’t necessarily” is an understatement. Only about a third of Americans think we should intervene more forcefully in Syria. The issue is almost a perfect epitome of the disconnect between elites and ordinary Americans. If our leaders were heeding ordinary Americans, Syria would hardly be on the radar at all let alone an issue of vital importance.
And ordinary Americans are right. We just aren’t that interested in Syria. However, Europe’s interest is much more proximate. If the Europeans aren’t rushing to intervene in Syria, we probably shouldn’t, either.
