Will Double-0 Go It Alone?: New York Times:
"President Obama is willing to move ahead with a limited military
strike on Syria even while allies like Britain are debating whether to
join the effort and without an endorsement from the United Nations
Security Council, senior administration officials said Thursday.
Although the officials cautioned that Mr. Obama had not made a final
decision, all indications suggest that the strike could occur as soon as
United Nations inspectors, who are investigating the Aug. 21 attack
that killed hundreds of Syrians, leave the country. They are scheduled
to depart Damascus, the capital, on Saturday. The White House is to
present its case for military action against Syria to Congressional
leaders on Thursday night."
He won't have to: New York Times: President François Hollande of France on
Friday offered strong support for international military action against
the Syrian government, supporting the Obama administration just a day
after the British Parliament rejected Minister Prime David Cameron’s
call for intervention.
A chemical attack on Aug. 21 attributed to Syrian forces in the Damascus
suburbs by Western powers “must not go unpunished,” Mr. Hollande said
in an interview with Le Monde, the French daily newspaper. “Otherwise,
it would be taking the risk of an escalation that would normalize the
use of these weapons and threaten other countries.”
A military strike against government targets would have a “dissuasion
value” and push the government of President Bashar al-Assad toward a
negotiated “political solution” to the conflict, Mr. Hollande said in
referring to France’s explicitly stated goal.
France has been outspoken in saying the government of Mr. Assad must be
punished for the reported poison gas attack last Wednesday, in which
hundreds of people were killed. Although Mr. Hollande has presented no
specific evidence linking Syrian government to the attacks, he has
spoken confidently of its culpability. Parliamentary approval is not
required for French military action, and Mr. Hollande has said his
government is “prepared to punish” those responsible.
