Kerry, Hagel push for Syria strike

Making a strong case for military action against the Syrian regime for alleged use of chemical weapons, senior Obama Administration officials today justified the move, arguing that inaction would set a wrong precedent and encourage other rogue powers to do the same.
Congressional debate on President Barack Obama's request for authorisation to strike Syria intensified as Secretary of State John Kerry, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, briefed the lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The actions of the Assad regime has threatened the US national security interest, they argued.

"Syria is important because quite simply, the risk of not acting is greater than the risk of acting. If we don't take a stand here today, we are more likely to face far greater risks to our security and a far greater likelihood of conflict in the future," Kerry said during a hearing on Syria by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"In creating impunity, we will be creating opportunity - the opportunity for other dictators and terrorists to pursue their own weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons," Kerry said.
"This is not the time for armchair isolationism. This is not the time to be spectators to a slaughter. Neither our country nor our conscience can afford the cost of silence," he said.

Observing that committing the country to using military force is the most difficult decision leaders can make, Hagel said the American people must be assured that their leaders are acting according to US national interests, with well-defined military objectives, and with an understanding of the risks and consequences involved.

Noting that the use of chemical weapons in Syria is not only an assault on humanity - it is a serious threat to America's national security interests and those of closest allies, Hagel said the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons poses grave risks to US friends and partners along Syria's borders - including Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq.

"The Syrian regime's actions risk eroding the nearly century-old international norm against the use of chemical weapons - a norm that has helped protect the United States homeland and American forces operating across the globe from these terrible weapons."
"Weakening this norm could embolden other regimes to acquire or use chemical weapons," Hagel said.
Opening up the Senate committee deliberations, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez said there are risks to action, but the consequences of inaction are greater and graver still: further humanitarian disaster in Syria; regional instability; the loss of American credibility around the world; an emboldened Iran and North Korea; and the disintegration of international law.

"The authorization we will ultimately seek is for focused action, with a clear understanding that American troops will not be on the ground in combat, and the language before us is but a starting point," he said.
"The chemical weapons attack against innocent civilians in Syria is an indirect attack on America's security with broader implications for the region and the world.