Wednesday, September 04, 2013

What does the Powell Doctrine say about Syria?

Back in the last century Colin Powell 'proclaimed' the Powell Doctrine when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  The doctrine is quite simple in that it asks eight questions to determine whether we should send the military into battle. The questions:
1. Is a vital national security interest threatened?
2. Do we have a clear attainable objective?
3. Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
4. Have all other nonviolent policy means been fully exhausted?
5. Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
6. Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
7. Is the action supported by the American people?
8. Do we have genuine broad international support?
How would you answer them?  I would answer 'no' to all of them. 

You should also read Barry Ritholz's

Point-By-Point Rebuttal of U.S. Case for War In Syria

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