September 10, 2013
Syria Accepts Russian Proposal To Hand Over Chemical Weapons
Today Syria accepted a Russian diplomatic proposal to hand over it’s chemical weapons, in a potential deal aimed at averting a U.S. military strike.
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September 8, 2013
Left Call Radio 08, 09-08-2013 – War. What Is It Good For? America Gears Up For War In Syria
Podcast #08: War. What is it good for? America gears up for another war, this time in Syria. Does our focus on chemical weapons soften the blow of conventional weapons?
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September 8, 2013
Dear President Obama, What Are The Goals Of Attacking Syria?
Dear President Obama,
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September 6, 2013
Syria War Drums: Do Liberals Enable Tyrants? I Reject The Premise
On The Daily Beast, Michael Tomasky explains to us liberals who oppose military action in Syria, how we are enabling the tyrants of the world. His article reads like an extension of the warmongering coming from Secretary of State John Kerry. The entire premise of the piece is predicated on the idea that we inherently know how the dictators and tyrants of the world will respond absent U.S. action. But we don’t actually “know” this.
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September 5, 2013
4 Humanitarian Alternatives To American Military Action Against Syria
As discussed on The Rachel Maddow Show tonight, there are alternatives to American military strikes against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. While there are no options that will result in an immediate halt to human suffering in Syria, we know military action, particularly a strike designed to “send a message,” will only add to the human carnage. It will only result in more destruction, more death, more suffering. So let’s consider 4 alternatives to American military action in Syria.
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September 5, 2013
5 Wrongheaded Arguments For American Military Action In Syria
1. The “Credibility” Argument — “America cannot be seen as weak,” as the pundits and war hawks put it, is a lousy reason to go to war, to paraphrase MSNBC’s Chris Hayes. We should never go to war because we are worried about the opinions of dictators and tyrants.
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September 3, 2013
Counterview: Do Humane Rules Of War Make It Easier To Start Wars?
If you want a good summary of the conflict in Syria, check out (“9 questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask“) by Washington Post foreign affairs blogger Max Fisher. If you’ve mostly ignored the civil war going on in Syria, this article will fill in many of the blanks.
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August 31, 2013
What Will U.S. Military Force Against Syria Accomplish?
Today President Obama announced he decided the United States will use military force against Syria for its chemical weapon use. The President said he would seek the approval of congress, but noted that he has the executive power to authorize this action without congressional approval. That is something in stark contrast to his previous stance as Senator. In 2007, while on the presidential campaign trail, Obama said, “The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.” I know we are supposed to believe presidents are privy to more information than us mere mortals, but this seems like a huge compromise of ethics, not to mention constitutionally questionable.
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