Christian Crier
What should the U.S. do about Syria? Should America try and arm the rebels? Should the U.S. only do airstrikes or should the nation stay out of it altogether? What do you think about America being the “police of the world?”
Seriousness in Syria
The civil war between rebels and the Syrian government is similar to that of Egypt and looking at the results of the overthrowing of the Egyptian regime, there is no guarantee that a new, rebel-led government would be any more stable than what they have now. A CNN poll taken on September 9th, 2013 indicates that 7 in 10 Americans believe that airstrikes into Syria will not solve the problems of the tyrannical leadership in that nation. [1] Even though the U.S. claimed at one time that chemical weapons were used by the Syrian regime, there is no concrete evidence that this actually happened. Even if there was hard evidence that chemical weapons were used, most Americans would still not be supportive of U.S. intervention in Syria. This shows that the majority of Americans are against any kind of intervention and there are few nations that are supporting the U.S. directly or even indirectly. It seems that time after time, the U.S. is alone in fighting for human rights and democracy in the world. Debates have deeply divided Americans and political parties. This same CNN poll reveals that just over half of Democrats in Congress support military intervention while only about 47% of Republicans do. [1] The U.S. population is even less supportive of American intervention in Syria
Russia’s Big Chill
The Russians are fed up with the U.S. acting like the world’s police and they are not happy about their intervention in Syria. Syria is one of Russia’s biggest customers of arms and to disrupt their business disrupts the Russian economy. Russia has a history of allying itself and supporting those with whom it does business with. Is there a risk of another “cold war” between the U.S. and Russia? Russia has threatened to boost arm sales to Iran if the U.S. continues to interfere in Syrian internal affairs. Russia is a longtime ally of Iran and of Syria and any U.S. interference in the region is seen as an indirect interference to the interests of Russia. There is a risk of another cold war and intervention in Syria will only serve to further strain an already strained relationship between the U.S. and Russia. Continued intervention has already made for more tense relations with nations in the Middle East and some believe this promises to escalate the threat of terrorist’s attacks against U.S. and Israeli interests. What is even more frightful to the U.S. and Israel is the fact that Russian President Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani might make a deal that would supply Iran with 2500 anti-aircraft missiles that could easily reach U.S. regional targets. These Antey anti-aircraft missiles could also be used against Israeli aircraft strikes in the region.
Conclusion
The U.S. military is stretched paper thin right now. If there was a regional or global conflict that erupted, the military would have a difficult time responding to it in an emergency. What is your opinion about the Syrian conflict? Should the U.S. continue to intervene or should we stay out of it altogether? The real solution is one that the nations of the world are not looking for…that is when the Prince of Peace comes, He will be strong enough to stop the violence. He will rule with a “rod of iron” (Rev 2:27). In the Kingdom of Heaven there will be no more war and peace will finally come to the world (Isaiah 42:1, 42:4) however it will not come as a result of diplomatic efforts, military interventions or embargos. It will take the power of God and that power will come from the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Mankind has proven that they cannot rule themselves and that peace will only come as a result of the King. This King will rule over a new heaven and a new earth. Those who rule with this King will be subjects of His today. For those who repent of their sins, confess them to God, and place their trust in Him, they will rule with Him (2 Tim 2:12). He will be their Savior today or He will be their Judge in the future (Rev 20:11-15). Whoever you are subjects of you will be subject too. My prayer is that it will be God who you submit too for one day every knee will bow (Phil 2:9-11). Why not bow the knee today and be a part of this soon coming Kingdom. It will be a Kingdom without end.
Article by Pastor Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Senior Writer at What Christians Want to Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design
1. CNN Poll taken on September 9th, 2011. http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/09/
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