To Arm or Not to Arm? That Is Obama’s Question

Weapons last longer than alliances, and the Obama administration is highly cautious about arming even a small segment of Syria’s rebels. It’s happened time and time again that weapons quickly change hands and are used against the original providers. The chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army is pleading for US assistance while trying to build coalitions among fragmented forces resisting the Assad regime. “Since the United States still aims to reach a political solution in Syria, it is taking care now mostly to ensure that an FSA victory will not turn into a massacre on all sides; that the regular Syrian military can fulfill its role even under the new regime; and that the chemical and biological weapons stockpiles will be protected from falling into the hands of uncontrolled forces,” including Al Qaeda supporters, reports Zvi Bar’el for Haaretz. Israel, Syria’s immediate neighbor, has already unleashed military airstrikes on stockpiles near Damascus and continues to monitor movement of weapons. – YaleGlobal