Obama Administration Should Clarify Syria Policy
The US objective should be to convene the Geneva Conference on Syria as soon as possible, not to provide an open-ended commitment to the Syrian rebels.
The Washington Post reported this week that the House and Senate Permanent Select Committees on Intelligence have slowed the Obama administration’s efforts to provide arms to Syrian rebel forces.
The committees’ unease with the administration’s proposal includes whether US arms will fall into the hands of jihadist forces, whether the arms being discussed are too little, too late and whether what is being proposed is a slippery slope to deeper US involvement in Syria.
While Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, called this week for the United States to consider a no fly zone and limited airstrikes against Syria, as reported by Barbara Slavin, there is limited appetite in Congress, especially in the House of Representatives, for deeper involvement.
In interviews with Al-Monitor, both Christopher Van Hollen, ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee, and Pete King, Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Sub-Committee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, were wary about arming Syria’s rebels.
