The news yesterday that the U.S. will provide some sort of arms to the rebels in the two-year old civil war in Syria moves us one giant step towards deep involvement another regime-changing war.
I’m way over my head in terms of understanding what’s going on there, so it’s time to see if I can get a clue.
Why am I talking about Syria in my blog where I’m trying to Outrun Change? It’s just another part of keeping up with the confusing change overwhelming all of us.
Here are three good articles I’ve used to get started:
- Wall Street Journal – Behind Obama’s About-Face on Syria
- Via Meadia – US Edging Closer to Syria War
- The Middle East and Beyond – Talkin’ Syria Intervention Blues
A few of many threads in the articles:
Major portions of the U.S. leadership are pushing toward involvement: the current and former Secretary of State, former head of the CIA, and others.
The situation on the ground, particularly who’s who, what chemical weapons may or may not have been used, and what could possibly be done, is confusing.
Next step could be weapons (in a place swimming in them), training to use more complex weapons, advisor troops on the ground, satellite intel, or no-fly zone (huge slide down the slope).