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CAUTION: A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon as he peeks into an alleyway in the al-Jdeideh neighborhood of the former city of Aleppo yesterday.
Expert warns Syria, Iran team effort is worrisome
Expert warns Syria, Iran team effort is worrisome | Boston Herald.
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
Warmongering threats by Syria and Iran to put Israel in their crosshairs are likely part of a coordinated effort to pressure the United States to back down from considering strikes against Syria, an expert told the Herald.
“From the Israeli point of view, this has to make them nervous. But I think it’s political rhetoric to unnerve the Israelis, which is designed to put pressure on us,” said William C. Martel, an international security expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School. “I see the efforts of Russia and Iran to support Syria now at all costs. I think that’s something that should worry us because it appears they are working in a coordinated fashion.”
Martel, who said the likelihood of an attack is very low because Israel has a more powerful weapons cache than Iran, said he worries President Obama’s threat to take action without following through after earlier, smaller chemical weapon attacks has damaged the United States’ standing in the world.
“I think that we communicated to the rest of the world — to Russia, Iran and Syria — we make threats that are not serious,” Martel said. “The leaders in those capitals aren’t quite sure what the U.S. is going to do now.”
Momentum appeared to build yesterday for Western military action against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime for allegedly using chemical weapons on civilians, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position to strike and Syrian leaders vowing to use all possible measures to repel it.
“Whatever we see in the next week or two, it’s going to be limited — simply cruise missiles or a combination of cruise missiles and air strikes, but not boots on the ground,” said Jim Walsh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program.
Domestic politics in the leadup to likely military action, he said, always makes for strange bedfellows.
“The partisan divides that happen with these things is interesting,” Walsh said. “You have the liberal interventionists ready to take action for humanitarian concerns line up with the neo-conservative Republicans, then on the other side, you have the libertarian Republicans’ side link up with the Democrats who worry that we’ll get bogged down in a foreign conflict.”
Martel said U.S. officials must consider the threat to national security.
“There are all sorts of extremists in Syria right now,” he said. “The nightmare is chemical weapons in the hands of extremists.”
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