Is There Anything Ethical America Can Do in Syria Now?

https://www.theatlantic.com/internationa...hy/557750/

EXCERPT: . . . I spoke about America’s ethical responsibility with some of the world’s leading moral philosophers. These are people whose job it is to ascertain the right thing to do in any given situation. All of them suggested that, years ago, America might have been able to intervene in a moral way to stop the killing in the Syrian civil war. But asked what America should do now, they all gave the same startling response: They don’t know.

The usual framework philosophers would use to answer this question—the so-called just-war theory—isn’t providing clear answers. The theory’s first principle is that if you’re going to go to war, you need to have a just cause. At this point, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is so severe that most people would probably agree that condition has already been met. And that was true before the weekend’s suspected chemical attack. The ethicists I spoke to said the death toll alone could establish just cause; the use of chemical weapons could add a further element of moral responsibility to stop it, not so much because of the pain they cause, but because they kill indiscriminately, wiping out combatants and civilians alike. Conventional weapons, like barrel bombs, also kill indiscriminately.

But there are other conditions that have to be satisfied for a war to be considered just or moral. One is that an intervention has to achieve more good than harm. And it’s not clear, according to the ethicists I spoke to, that any military action the United States can take in Syria now will fulfill that condition...

MORE (their individual opinions): https://www.theatlantic.com/internationa...hy/557750/

If only Obama hadn't drawing his laughable "red line", ignored when it was crossed, and then trusted Putin to oversee the removal of chemical weapons from Syria.

(Apr 13, 2018 10:32 PM)Syne Wrote: If only Obama hadn't drawing his laughable "red line", ignored when it was crossed, and then trusted Putin to oversee the removal of chemical weapons from Syria.

Yep..blame the liberals again. It never ends..

As opposed to what? Do you laud Obama for drawing his "red line", failing to do anything about it being violated, and letting Putin (who liberals supposedly all hate now) take over in Syria?
Do you realize that Putin and Iran are the ones helping Assad?
Are you happy Assad got further chances to attack civilian Syrians, including children?

If you can't make a counter-argument, you're just whining about the facts.

(Apr 14, 2018 06:09 AM)Syne Wrote: As opposed to what? Do you laud Obama for drawing his "red line", failing to do anything about it being violated, and letting Putin (who liberals supposedly all hate now) take over in Syria?
Do you realize that Putin and Iran are the ones helping Assad?
Are you happy Assad got further chances to attack civilian Syrians, including children?

If you can't make a counter-argument, you're just whining about the facts.

Why aren't you outraged at the monster that did these chemical attacks? Spare us your politicizing stream of bullshit for once and act like a human being. You don't care about the atrocity of it at all. You are just exploiting it to blame liberals again. That's all you do, and it's obnoxious and inhuman.

I cared about the atrocity when Obama failed to retaliate for the first one. What, were you asleep for that? Did the repeated atrocity finally register for you?

(Apr 14, 2018 07:38 AM)Syne Wrote: I cared about the atrocity when Obama failed to retaliate for the first one. What, were you asleep for that? Did the repeated atrocity finally register for you?

Noone's thinking about Obama now but you. We're thinking about the present atrocity and how to respond to it. That's what normal people do. They don't attempt to politicize everything to achieve some agenda. They respond genuinely to what is happening now. Why is that so hard for you?

The question of America's ethical responsibility in the matter (read the thread title) has everything to do with America's past action/inaction in Syria.

And it seems most leftists in the media are very busy agreeing with Putin, that the latest attack was faked by the UK. Democrats in Congress are demanding oversight of any strikes in Syria, apparently just on the word of Putin, who two minutes ago was the big villain who lost Hillary the election (similar to how they now love Comey, who similarly lost Hillary the election).

(Apr 14, 2018 09:10 PM)Syne Wrote: The question of America's ethical responsibility in the matter (read the thread title) has everything to do with America's past action/inaction in Syria.

And it seems most leftists in the media are very busy agreeing with Putin, that the latest attack was faked by the UK. Democrats in Congress are demanding oversight of any strikes in Syria, apparently just on the word of Putin, who two minutes ago was the big villain who lost Hillary the election (similar to how they now love Comey, who similarly lost Hillary the election).

Yep...more scapegoating of liberals. Or is it just most leftists in the media now? That's a smaller group you know. You are like a stuck record. Obama wasn't enough, now you say liberals, or most leftists in the media, think the UK poisoned the Syrians. Where did you hear this rumor? Breitbart?

I actually said "leftists", not "liberals". I also said Russia claims this Syrian chemical attack was faked, not perpetrated, by the UK. Learn to read.

If they don't believe Putin, why are they against us stopping civilians and children from being targets? Why the calls for Congressional approval?

Is it just so they can share the political credit with Trump, at the cost of delaying action and potentially having more civilians and children killed?