Obama’s Battle Plan For Syria Could Backfire Badly (From Forbes)

The Obama Administration has made a convincing case that the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is responsible for nerve-gas attacks against civilians near Damascus on August 21. However, proving culpability for war crimes is not the same thing as justifying the response that the administration proposes. There is a high likelihood that the cruise-missile barrage Mr. Obama is urging Congress to approve could backfire by provoking retaliation, helping jihadists to gain control of the country, or leading other countries to intervene in the civil war on Assad’s side. President Obama’s motives may be pure, but there are too many potential drawbacks to warrant enthusiasm for his plan in Syria. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.