McCain's War

Is it possible that a decade from now actor Ed Harris may be called upon again to portray John McCain in another movie called McCain’s War? Many may remember the movie “Wilson’s War” about Texas Democrat congressman Charlie Wilson who maneuvered to get the United States Congress to fund the mujahedeen rebellion against the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan during the 1980's.

With hundreds of millions of dollars and stinger missiles from the United States allocated to this effort the Soviets were eventually ousted. Some argue however that this created a vacuum in Afghanistan, which was filled by the Taliban and religious extremists including Osama Bin Laden who eventually turned their sights on the United States culminating in the attacks of September 11^th 2001.

Unfortunately in regions such as this the axiom attributed to Lord Palmerston “no permanent enemies and no permanent allies” should be adhered to as history continuously shows this to be true. Many forget that both Iraq and Iran were allies of the United States.  

With the full knowledge of the State Department Senator McCain has traveled to meet with Syrian rebels. The problem is that it is difficult to ascertain which rebel faction to trust. It should be  clear that Syrian rebels do not see America  as liberators but simply as a supplier of lethal weaponrys. This nation ravaged by sectarianism will not in the aftermath of President Bashar al-Assad leaving  miraculously become a staunch ally of the United States.  

It is hard to understand what Senator McCain is up to. His consistent bellicose comments about nations such as Iran leads one to suspect that at heart he is a hawk who believes that the United States should be in perpetual war. On the other hand as his political career is clearly coming to a close he seems to be threatened by the likes of Joe McCarthy wannabe Senator Ted Cruz and potential presidential candidate Senator Rand Paul. Some may even suggest he is still bitter about his loss to Barack Obama in 2008.

It should not be overlooked that Senator McCain’s judgment when it comes to various issues is at best faulty. This is evidenced by his lack of judgment in the savings and loan scandal of the 1980’s, his enthusiastic support for the Iraq war to his attempts to support Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi. This is not to even mention his ill-advised attempt to suspend his 2008 presidential campaign in response to the financial crisis and the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate.

There is no doubt that humanitarian assistance is needed in Syria particularity as refugees flood other parts of the region such Jordan thereby creating their stability.  From this perspective the United States should do all it can to provide humanitarian assistance to prevent further destabilization of the region.  After over a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, military involvement should not be viewed as an inevitable next step. War is easy to get into but very difficult to get out of.

Despite hawkish calls from those who relish the idea of America displaying its military prowess, the Obama administration has acted with the wisdom lacked by the previous administration. Secondly, the nation is opposed to American involvement in Syria beyond humanitarian aid.

While the Senator claims America can determine how to differentiate which rebels to support history including Iraq suggest otherwise.     

It may indeed come to a point where the United States may enter into this potential debacle but for now diplomacy must be the strategy of choice. For over a decade America has given treasure in blood and money for wars of choice. 

Whatever the motivation behind Senator McCain’s decision to travel to Syria, America should not be forced by politics to enter into a situation in which there is no obvious exit strategy. Americans are not willing to sacrifice their sons and daughters for a war for which there is no obvious exit strategy.