I'm a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, which has little or nothing to do with American foreign policy. But for the past several weeks the subject of "What should we do about Syria?" has, remarkably, been the question I've been asked more than any other.
Many of the residents of the 85th district are active duty military or reservists, are DOD civilian employees, are veterans or care deeply about their family, friends and neighbors who could be called into duty in the Middle East. Our community is disproportionately affected by military deployments and potential unintended consequences. Our neighbors are anxious and have expressed strong reservations to me about an armed forces intervention with an unclear military objective.
As you know I served in the war in Iraq and have worked in Yemen as a security consultant for a multinational corporation doing business in the region. Knowing my background, a great number of my neighbors have asked my opinion on the subject.
As it relates to Syria, President Obama's reckless rhetoric, while sitting on the leadership sidelines for two years brought us to the brink of military involvement in a sectarian civil war and regional proxy war within Syria, without a clear national vital interest or objective. Folks like me question the strategy, or lack thereof, of so-called "limited strikes" and the unintended consequences of further escalating this conflict.
I believe we should not be underwriting world security or enforcing international "norms" unilaterally without shepherding the support and inclusion of the international community, be it political, financial or military support and partnership.
Recently, I was asked to join the Geraldo At Large show on Fox News Channel to give some thoughts on Syria and Benghazi. See the video below.
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