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Nations expel Syrian diplomats as violence escalates
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Bid to increase pressure on Assad after recent civilian killings
- Duration 5:44
- Date May 29, 2012
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Bid to increase pressure on Assad after recent civilian killings
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Fox News alert Britain is the latest country to expel Syrian diplomats as violence escalates in country.
-- -- okay.
Sounds on the streets in Syria more than a hundred people were killed there over the weekend.
Including the estimates are at least two dozen children the numbers of children go as high as 32.
In some of these reports president Obama's top military advisor is now warning that military force will be used if necessary.
These events or we're -- are actually atrocious and I frankly believe the international community I think the pressure has to be mounting on the side.
There is always a military option but.
That military option should always be wielded carefully.
Because -- -- for one thing we've learned about war I have learned personally about war.
Is that it has had a dynamic all its own it takes on a life -- its -- Institutional.
Humble and as a former US ambassador to the -- landed -- Fox News contributor ambassador good morning.
He you know strikes me with the watching -- scenes for over a year 101000 people estimate and lost their lives.
It it takes perhaps the death of all these children.
Acted to bring this issue screaming into the forefront.
For our country.
And what do we did -- Well it's obviously horrific and and and you have to look at those pictures -- wonder how how we can allow this to.
Continued that the difficulty of courses that in this particular circumstance you have Russia.
Either inside the game with weapons and finance Iran with military personnel on the ground in country.
So any US military intervention I think could not be contained the -- inevitably it would involve Iran and we don't know what role Russia would play.
And the question in my mind is whether President Obama is up to the task whether he can handle this difficult a situation that that worries me more than anything.
What about the reputation of America when you look at the world -- look at the reasons that we went and in Libya.
We were told that it was because it was an imminent massacre.
About to unfold in Libya and now we're watching not an imminent massacre were watching -- current massacre.
And I think a lot of people look at it and say isn't this and that kind of moment that America that needs to rise to the occasion and help.
Well I think and they Libya example the president used the doctrine called the responsibility to protect one and when a country couldn't protect its own citizens are in that case was actually.
Killing its own citizens.
The difficulty but that doctrine is where you draw the line in the case of the Syrian opposition we know there are al-Qaeda elements there Islamic terrorist.
And just as we would not have wanted to aid become -- rouge in opposing the Vietnam Vietnamese puppet regime that.
I came into power there and in Cambodia in 1979 we don't want -- aid.
Terrorists here in Syria as well so it's a complex situation think the president has aired in.
Not being more assertive with Russia for example given its -- -- -- -- -- I mean what what how how would you deal with Russia at this -- well I tell them the reset button.
Has just been on push that in -- they stopped not only stop arming and financing the aside regime but help figure out how to remove it from power our relations with -- going in the -- has that conversation visit desperate as the president of the United States needs to -- President Putin and say this is unacceptable behavior if you wanna be part.
Of the civilized world stop eating the Asad regime that is -- -- everything.
-- conversation with me -- About how after my election you know things will be I'll be Havel a bit more flexibility.
And now you can't help but think it shouldn't that moment have been used to say look.
You know we will not stand for what's going on in Syria I'm not gonna -- -- -- a public stage right now -- you need to realize that we are not missing out.
-- and instead the president's promising in essence to give up our limited missile defense capabilities Iran is important here as well.
President knows if he does -- thing to oppose the Asad regime.
He can kiss goodbye the prospects of negotiating with Iran over their nuclear weapons program that to me that's no great loss since that negotiation is never gonna work anyway.
But Obama has real difficulty in admitting that for three and a half years he's been pursuing an illusion with Iran.
He he's also in his Memorial Day speech he talked about lips in a cloud of war the ten years with their and war with Iraq and Afghanistan.
It.
Doesn't feel like a moment five months before the election that he wants to commit US forces to a new -- Well it's because his view of the world is so naive and so out of touch he wants to be the president who withdrew from Iraq and Afghanistan and this is one of the consequences as America.
Com's home as he wants that our ability to influence events all over the world declines that's that's what he campaigned on.
That's the way he's govern now he sees the concert.
This is a situation that could be handled it to some extent -- strikes I mean could we go after military bases wherever you know they're they're arming these militants.
And and put in -- strikes that would.
You know perhaps at least slow things down and give us some kind of figured out.
Well I would go to the to the source which is the Asad regime itself he's the one who's directing these forces but even more important with -- Iran supporting.
Aside that regime would have fallen long -- and without Russian support would have fallen so we need a larger strategy which we don't have to deal with the major threat.
The security in the Middle East which is the regime in Tehran.
-- -- -- -- a complex situation.
Thank you very much for Wayne and I today we'll see what happens thank you thanks.