Syria: 5 Questions for the Obama Administration
February 06, 2012
With the US closing its embassy in Syria, a Chinese and Russian veto of sanctions at the UN, and violence in the streets American leaders must consider what the US can and should do.
But, before the United States can formulate the right policy response, those in power must ask the right–and difficult–questions. American Enterprise Institute (AEI)’s expert Danielle Pletka poses the 5 questions that the Obama administration must answer:
1. Will the United States support the arming of the Free Syrian Army?
2. Will the United States join a “coalition of the willing” with the Arab League and others to support the Syrian opposition?
3. Will the United States convene or join in the convening of a conference of the Syrian opposition to build unity and plan for the post-Assad transition?
4. Will the United States release and urge others to release information about the foreign bank accounts of top Syrian officials, rather than waiting as everyone did post-Qadhafi?
5. If it’s not doing the above, what exactly is the Obama administration doing for the people of Syria, except talking?
Danielle Pletka is the vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at AEI and served for a decade as a senior staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations committee. She is available for interviews and can be reached through Alex Della Rocchetta [email protected] or 202.862.7152.
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