By Christine Todd Whitman
NJ.com
August 29, 2013

Although I recognize his “red line” on chemical weapons has him in a bind, I urge President Obama Obama not to intervene in Syria. Assad’s regime is brutal, no doubt, but we have no idea who would replace him. As we’ve seen in other countries that were part of the Arab Spring, sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. Further, previous drone strikes have not been shown to be effective in the long run (e.g. Lockerbie bombing, 9/11) and Syria is surrounded by neighbors with strong militaries who should care more than we do.

The US should call on the UN to take action and pledge our unequivocal support despite Russia stopping any sanctions. Many will say that makes us look weak, and will embolden the terrorists, but to the contrary, it is our attacks that fuel our enemies’ propaganda campaigns. Drone strikes are exactly the kind of fodder they will utilize to unite more of their people against us. We should not get into a conflict in Syria that has no clear positive end – that is a mistake we should not repeat.