U.S.
The U.S. Senate Foreign relations committee agreed Tuesday on a draft resolution authorizing President Barack Obama to strike the Syrian government in order to stop it from using chemical weapons, but it also called for the U.S. to attempt to find a political solution to end the country's bloody civil war.
The resolution is just the latest in a series of wins for the Obama administration, which has been seeking approval from Congress to use military force as a punishment for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's alleged deployment of chemical weapons against Syrian citizens.
The compromise deal reached by Senator Robert Menendez, (D-N.J.) the Democratic chairman of the panel, and Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), its top Republican, authorizes a more narrow use of force than Obama was seeking.
The draft requires Obama to determine that all diplomatic means have been used to prevent the implementation of weapons of mass destruction in Syria. It sets a 60-day limit on U.S. military action in Syria, with a possibility of a single 30-day extension. It would require Obama to fully inform lawmakers of any planned military strikes and require the president to include Congress in formulating a negotiated political settlement to the conflict. It also includes a provision banning any use of U.S. ground forces in Syria.
"Together we have pursued a course of action that gives the president the authority he needs to deploy force in response to the Assad regime's criminal use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people, while assuring that the authorization is narrow and focused, limited in time, and assures that the Armed Forces of the United States will not be deployed for combat operations in Syria," Menendez said in a statement.
The draft resolution paves the way for a committee vote on Wednesday. If approved by the committee, that would lead to a full vote on military action by the Senate when lawmakers return from their month-long recess on Sept. 9.
The House of Representatives must also pass its own version of the military authorization and the two must be reconciled before they can be submitted for Obama's signature.
Secretary of State John Kerry testified Tuesday in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, saying that failure to launch a strike against Syria would undermine U.S. credibility around the world. He said a lack of action would weaken America's ability to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel joined Kerry in testifying in support of a military intervention.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) also rallied behind the plan for intervention Tuesday, saying that responding to an alleged chemical attack is, "something the United States as a country needs to do."
Obama began lobbying Congress for a speedy approval for force after the U.S. received what the Obama administration said is credible evidence that about 1,400 Syrians were killed by a chemical attack carried out by Assad's government on Aug. 21.
But Obama is still far from achieving unanimous support for any action. Many liberal Democrats and a large part of the Republican party have voiced opposition to intervention.
And a Pew Research Center poll released Tuesday shows only 29 percent of Americans back U.S. intervention in Syria, while another 48 percent oppose and 23 percent remain undecided.
Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen told Al Jazeera that Obama has probably already calculated that he will get the votes necessary. "It may not be by virtue of support of the American people, but support of countries in the region, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and also Israel. Israel has very strong lobby in this country," he said. "I think their voices will carry a lot of weight with Congress."
Cohen said the real challenge for the president is the possibility of failing to win a majority in both houses of Congress, but still opting for a military strike. "I think it's a danger here, if he was to lose this by a close vote, the country would have spoken through their elected officials, at that point, Obama may feel so strongly that he's going to go forward anyway," he said. "I think you'd be in a very difficult position politically, in this country."
Cohen noted that there has only been one declaration of war since World War II. "All the others have been carried out through the executive without necessarily the full support of Congress," Cohen said.
Highlights from the resolution's text:
SECTION 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(a) AUTHORIZATION-The President is authorized, subject to subsection (b), to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in a limited and tailored manner against legitimate military targets in Syria, only to: (1) respond to the use of weapons of mass destruction by the Syrian government in the conflict in Syria; (2) deter Syria's use of such weapons in order to protect the national security interests of the United States and to protect our allies and partners against the use of such weapons; and (3) degrade Syria's capacity to use such weapons in the future.
SECTION 5. SYRIA STRATEGY.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this resolution, the President shall consult with Congress and submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives an integrated United States Government strategy for achieving a negotiated political settlement to the conflict in Syria, including a comprehensive review of current and planned U.S. diplomatic, political, economic, and military policy towards Syria, including: (1) the provision of all forms of assistance to the Syrian Supreme Military Council and other Syrian entities opposed to the government of Bashar Al-Assad that have been properly and fully vetted and share common values and interests with the United States; (2) the provision of all forms of assistance to the Syrian political opposition, including the Syrian Opposition Coalition; (3) efforts to isolate extremist and terrorist groups in Syria to prevent their influence on the future transitional and permanent Syrian governments; (4) coordination with allies and partners; and (5) efforts to limit support from the Government of Iran and others for the Syrian regime.
SECTION 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
The authority set forth in Section 2 of this resolution shall not constitute an authorization for the use of force or a declaration of war except to the extent that it authorizes military action under the conditions, for the specific purposes, and for the limited period of time set forth in this resolution.
Al Jazeera and wire services
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