Syria decision won't save Obama's image

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For a president who was elected on promises to wrap up wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the proposed war is an antithesis to his image that is epitomized by a Nobel Peace Prize.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Sun Sentinel
By Mansura Bashir Minhas | September 7, 2013

President Obama's conundrum propelled him to seek the approval of Congress before a military intervention in Syria. Despite the fact that many are calling this a political risk, the term remains a misnomer.

The deferral on an attack cannot restore the president's credibility that has already been tarnished. Millions of zealous Obama supporters like me are feeling betrayed. For a president who was elected on promises to wrap up wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the proposed war is an antithesis to his image that is epitomized by a Nobel Peace Prize.

As commander-in-chief, the onus of responsibility will ultimately rest on him. He risks going down in history as a warmonger just like his predecessor and losing the political capital that he has amassed so far. Obama must remain mindful that as a president of the greatest democracy in the world, he must exert his influence to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Syria.

It is evident from the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that military solutions carry an inherent snowball effect. They are unsustainable and inefficient and never offer a comprehensive solution. The mere toppling of a tyrant like Bashar al-Assad is unlikely to resolve Syria's quagmire.

Lest we forget, Iraq, Egypt and Libya are still rattling, despite the ousters of Saddam Hussein, Hosni Mubarak and Moammar Gadhafi.

Mansura Bashir Minhas, Hollywood

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