While US Bangs Drums of War, United Nations Twiddles Its Tiny Peace Pipe
All afternoon, Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel have been trying to make the case for a military strike on Syria before the Senate (we've been live-tweeting the debate at our Reason 24/7 Twitter feed). The discussion seems to be weighted in favor of war (not that the president actually feels bound to respect Congress' authority to declare war anyway). In the meantime, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is trying to warn against action.
From the Associated Press:
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is warning that any "punitive" action taken against Syria for an alleged chemical weapons attack last week could unleash more turmoil and bloodshed in that nation's civil war.
Ban also cautioned nations such as the United States and France that may be considering such strikes that they are legal only in self-defense under the U.N. Charter or if approved by the U.N. Security Council.
Ban is underestimating the ability of our various leaders to make anything sound like a threat to the United States — remember when using drugs helped fund terrorism? If America attacks Syria, it will be claimed as "self-defense" no matter how thin the argument is — so thin that it is transparent.
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