Editor’s Note: Newt Gingrich is the new co-cost of CNN’s “Crossfire,” which starts September 16. A former speaker of the House, he was a candidate in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries.
Story highlights
U.S. is considering a military strike on Syria in response to chemical weapons attack
Newt Gingrich: The atrocities are deplorable, but there is no desirable side in Syria
As terrible as this civil war is, it cannot be our war, Gingrich says
Gingrich: A much more serious threat to U.S. interests is possibility of Iran nuclear bomb
News that the United States is considering a military strike on Syria in response to the Bashar al-Assad regime’s suspected use of chemical weapons suggests we could soon see an American bombing campaign on the war-torn country.
The atrocities that took place in Syria recently, such as those that have been taking place there for almost two years, are deplorable and inhuman.
Before bombing Syria over the regime’s latest crimes, however, we should stand back and ask, “And then what?”
Bergen: For U.S., Syria is truly a problem from hell
A brief bombing campaign in Syria might make the United States and its allies feel like they are doing something, but it will prove nothing.
We have already abstained from getting involved in the civil war for two years and have chosen not to respond to evidence (albeit less clear) of another chemical attack this year.
We have already concluded that as terrible as the civil war is, it cannot be our war. The bombing will not change this – and then what?
Both sides in Syria are bad. One side is a brutal dictator, and the other includes Islamists and terrorists who are dangerous already and who would be brutal in power if given the chance.
We will not spend the time, money and blood to create a desirable side in Syria. There is no victory to be had there.
Syria is not the greatest threat in the Middle East to U.S. or world security. The Iranian regime is working every day to get a nuclear weapon. It poses a direct threat to Israel’s survival and a long-term threat to America.
The conflicts in Syria, Egypt and Libya are small threats compared with the disaster that could ensue and the lives that would be endangered if Iran succeeds in its drive for nuclear weapons.
We should focus more on the truly big threat ahead of the headlines of the day – or we will be reading much worse headlines in the future.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Newt Gingrich.