EFTA01104395.pdf

Stan www.weeklystandard.com August 27, 2013 Experts to Obama: Here Is What to Do in Syria By Daniel Helper A big group of foreign policy experts, from across the ideological spectrum, is calling on President Obama to impose "meaningful consequences on the Assad regime" for their use of chemical weapons. "At a minimum, the United States, along with willing allies and partners, should use standoff weapons and airpower to target the Syrian dictatorship's military units that were involved in the recent large- scale use of chemical weapons. It should also provide vetted moderate elements of Syria's armed opposition with the military support required to identify and strike regime units armed with chemical weapons," the experts write. "Moreover, the United States and other willing nations should consider direct military strikes against the pillars of the Assad regime. The objectives should be not only to ensure that Assad's chemical weapons no longer threaten America, our allies in the region or the Syrian people, but also to deter or destroy the Assad regime's airpower and other conventional military means of committing atrocities against civilian non-combatants. At the same time, the United States should accelerate efforts to vet, train, and arm moderate elements of Syria's armed opposition, with the goal of empowering them to prevail against both the Assad regime and the growing presence of Al Qaeda-affiliated and other extremist rebel factions in the country." The signatories on the letter addressed to President Obama inlcude Senator Joe Lieberman, Bernard- Henri Levy, Karl Rove, Bill Kristol, Elliott Abrams, Leon Wieseltier, and many others. Right now, 66 experts have signed the letter. Here's the full letter and list of signatories: Dear Mr. President: Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has once again violated your red line, using chemical weapons to kill as many as 1,400 people in the suburbs of Damascus. You have said that large-scale use of chemical weapons in Syria would implicate "core national interests," including "making sure that weapons of mass destruction are not proliferating, as well as needing to protect our allies [and) our bases in the region." The world—including Iran. North Korea, and other potential aggressors who seek or possess weapons of mass of destruction—is now watching to see how you respond. Page I 1 of 4 EFTA01104395 We urge you to respond decisively by imposing meaningful consequences on the Assad regime. At a minimum, the United States, along with willing allies and partners, should use standoff weapons and airpower to target the Syrian dictatorship's military units that were involved in the recent large-scale use of chemical weapons. It should also provide vetted moderate elements of Syria's armed opposition with the military support required to identify and strike regime units armed with chemical weapons. Moreover, the United States and other willing nations should consider direct military strikes against the pillars of the Assad regime. The objectives should be not only to ensure that Assad's chemical weapons no longer threaten America, our allies in the region or the Syrian people, but also to deter or destroy the Assad regime's airpower and other conventional military means of committing atrocities against civilian non-combatants. At the same time, the United States should accelerate efforts to vet, train, and arm moderate elements of Syria's armed opposition, with the goal of empowering them to prevail against both the Assad regime and the growing presence of Al Qaeda-affiliated and other extremist rebel factions in the country. Left unanswered, the Assad regime's mounting attacks with chemical weapons will show the world that America's red lines are only empty threats. It is a dangerous and destabilizing message that will surely come to haunt us—one that will certainly embolden Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons capability despite your repeated warnings that doing so is unacceptable. It is therefore time for the United States to take meaningful and decisive actions to stem the Assad regime's relentless aggression, and help shape and influence the foundations for the post-Assad Syria that you have said is inevitable. Sincerely, Ammar Abdulhamid Elliott Abrams Dr. Fouad Ajami Dr. Michael Auslin Gary Bauer Paul Berman Max Boot Ellen Bork Ambassador L. Paul Bremer Matthew R. J. Brodsky Dr. Eliot A. Cohen Senator Norm Coleman Ambassador William Courtney Seth Cropsey James S. Denton Paula A. DeSutter Larry Diamond Dr. Paula J. Dobriansky Thomas Donnelly Dr. Michael Doran Mark Dubowitz Page I 2 of 4 EFTA01104396 Dr. Colin Dueck Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt Ambassador Eric S. Edelman Reuel Marc Gerecht Abe Greenwald Christopher J. Griffin John P. Hannah Bruce Pitcairn Jackson Ash Jain Dr. Kenneth Jensen Allison Johnson Dr. Robert G. Joseph Dr. Robert Kagan Lawrence F. Kaplan Jamie Kirchick Irina Krasovskaya Dr. William Kristol Bernard-Henri Levy Dr. Robert J. Lieber Senator Joseph I. Lieberman Tod Lindberg Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken Dr. Michael Makovsky Ann Marlowe Dr. Clifford D. May Dr. Alan Mendoza Dr. Joshua Muravchik Governor Tim Pawlenty Martin Peretz Danielle Pledca Dr. David Pollock Arch Puddington Karl Rove Randy Scheunemann Dan Senor Ambassador John Shattuck Lee Smith Henry D. Sokolski James Traub Ambassador Mark D. Wallace Michael Weiss Leon Wieseltier Khawla Yusuf Robert Zarate Page I 3 of 4 EFTA01104397 Dr. Radwan Ziadeh Page 14 of 4 EFTA01104398