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So You Want to Intervene in Syria Without Breaking the Law?
Foreign Policy ^ | JUNE 20, 2013 | Rosa Brooks

Posted on 06/20/2013 4:19:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Good luck with that.

So let's say you're the president of the United States and you want to use military force to intervene in Syria. I'm not saying you do (it sorta looks like you don't), and I'm not even saying you should (you're not wrong to worry that military intervention might not end well).

But let's say you become convinced that military intervention is the only way to protect Syrian civilians from being slaughtered by government forces, or that it's the only way to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from becoming dangerously emboldened, or the only way to prevent factions with links to al Qaeda from gaining the upper hand within the Syrian rebel movement, or the only way to prevent the conflict from spilling over into neighboring countries, or the only way to do all those things. And let's say that Russia continues to block every U.N. Security Council resolution that might pave the way for a civilian-protection intervention á la Libya.

You're a president who respects international law -- or, at any rate, you're not inclined to thumb your nose openly at international law. You're not Dick Cheney, and you don't like being compared to Cheney. That means that if you decide America should intervene militarily in Syria, you want to be able to tell the world, with a straight face, that the intervention is legal. At a bare minimum, you want to at least feel confident that what you're doing isn't blatantly, manifestly, obnoxiously illegal, in a darn the U.N. Security Council and the horse it rode in on" kind of way.

Can you do it? Would it be lawful, as an international law matter, for the United States to use military force in Syria without a Security Council resolution authorizing the intervention?

The short answer: Probably not.

(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Israel; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: iran; israel; russia; syria; waronterror
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Obama is a unilateralist cowboy.
1 posted on 06/20/2013 4:19:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
I like Sarah Palin’s solution...Let Allah sort it all out. We need to sit this one out.
2 posted on 06/20/2013 4:23:46 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (I served and protected my country for 31 years. Progressives spent that time trying to destroy it.)
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To: nickcarraway

Cut a deal with Russia - tell Putin that Syria is his as long as he ejects Iran and Hezbollah.


3 posted on 06/20/2013 4:25:39 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Unindicted Co-conspirators: The Mainstream Media)
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To: nickcarraway

Obama is an undocumented Impostor who arms al Qaeda
to murder Americans.


4 posted on 06/20/2013 4:29:10 PM PDT by Diogenesis
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To: nickcarraway
Obama has allowed his words to trap him, in March 2011 he stated “Assad must go”. Now that Russia has put troops in Syria, all Obama can do is fund a proxy war. Our troops in Jordan reminds me of JFK's proxy war with China, Jordan may soon find itself the victim of gorilla attacks from Syria.
What will Obama do? Vietnam?
5 posted on 06/20/2013 4:31:18 PM PDT by swamprebel (a Constitution once changed from Freedom, can never be restored.)
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To: swamprebel

quagmire


6 posted on 06/20/2013 4:38:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: NonValueAdded
Cut a deal with Russia - tell Putin that Syria is his as long as he ejects Iran and Hezbollah.

That might be where we'll get to. Like the way you think.
7 posted on 06/20/2013 4:51:06 PM PDT by kenavi ("Beware of rulers, for they befriend only for their own benefit." Gamliel)
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To: AlaskaErik
Long as its muslims killing muslims I say we arm both sides
8 posted on 06/20/2013 4:57:59 PM PDT by Newbomb Turk ("All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.")
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To: nickcarraway
How about not deploying troops unless congress declares war and gives full backing and funding to the same.

The U.S.A will never win a pussy foot attempt but a lot of good young men and women will die or be maimed for life needlessly.

Speaking as a 35 year army veteran here.

9 posted on 06/20/2013 5:00:36 PM PDT by Newbomb Turk ("All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.")
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To: Newbomb Turk

Wow! What a wacky idea. Who ever thought of that?


10 posted on 06/20/2013 5:02:07 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: kenavi
ThankYouVeryMuch /Elvis

It is pretty clear that Russia has strategic interests in Syria and is drawing a red line of their own. So be it, leverage that. The only problem is that Putin sees Obama as something to scrape off the bottom of his shoes. Putin needs to know there are adults in the room. So we gave him Kerry. Sheesh.

11 posted on 06/20/2013 5:03:05 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (Unindicted Co-conspirators: The Mainstream Media)
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To: nickcarraway
Can you do it? Would it be lawful, as an international law matter, for the United States to use military force in Syria without a Security Council resolution authorizing the intervention?

The short answer: Probably not.

The long answer is absolutely not, the US Cnstitution is clear that you, as president, cannot move the troops, equipment or anything until two things happen, first Congress, not the UN, not cnn, abc, nbc or the pope, but Congress declares war and second not until Congress votes to fund that war.

And right now there is a lot of sentiment to impeach you so it is best to take the trips enjoy the jet, play a round of footsy with Reggie, and try for a low profile.

12 posted on 06/20/2013 5:10:07 PM PDT by SilverMine (IF the US gøvt says it is a lie.)
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

Couldn't read the entire article as I'm not registered there, actually too lazy to try name/password combos.

Personally, I don't care about the UN or international law.

Though I wouldn't be surprised if it's unconstitutional, at least in some circumstances, I do care about the War Powers Resolution. Since it's the law, here in the USA, and shouldn't be broken. Especially by the President, yes, he's the only one who can break it since it's directed at him.

He broke it in Libya on May 20, 2011. Big ho-hum. If we become involved in Syria, I hope there is not a repeat.

13 posted on 06/20/2013 5:10:50 PM PDT by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn’t do !)
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To: nickcarraway

Somebody tell us who Rosa Brooks is. SHe’s the daughter of somebody in politics and was either a Clinton or Obama advisor on foreign policy.

I’ve just forgotten who she’s related to.

There is so much political incest in this regime that it makes the old Arkansas Brother-Sister jokes seem tame.


14 posted on 06/20/2013 5:13:39 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: MadMax, the Grinning Reaper

Barbara Ehrenreich


15 posted on 06/20/2013 5:30:34 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: Newbomb Turk

Let’s arm neither.


16 posted on 06/20/2013 5:32:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

If it was Reagan, he would send in troops to kick both Syrian a$$ as well as terrorist a$$, just to provoke Russia so he could kick their a$$ too.

Don’t take a side, kill them all.


17 posted on 06/20/2013 5:59:11 PM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (The reason we own guns is to protect ourselves from those wanting to take our guns from us.)
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To: nickcarraway

(from the title) :” So You Want to Intervene in Syria Without Breaking the Law? “

Obama should have a ‘hissey-fit ‘ and quit the presidency
Tell Michelle to make up another 72 bedrooms
Put on his flowing white robes and scarf
and take up arms (preferably a pop-tart in the shape of a gun ) with his ‘kindred brethern’ for the Caliphate !


18 posted on 06/20/2013 6:29:31 PM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” - Ronald Reagan)
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To: nickcarraway
The writer totally ignores the fact that the president cannot lawfully make the decision himself to go to war under the US Constitution while debating the applicability of UN edicts and international lawyer mumbo jumbo. CLUELESS CLUELESS CLUELESS. We are raising a generation of "citizens of the world", not Americans.
19 posted on 06/20/2013 7:08:35 PM PDT by Colonel Kangaroo
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To: Newbomb Turk

I concur!


20 posted on 06/20/2013 7:12:45 PM PDT by TurboZamboni (Marx smelled bad & lived with his parents most his life.)
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