With the civil war in Syria now passing beyond the two year mark and already having claimed almost 100,000 lives the need to bring about an immediate solution to the conflict has never been more necessary or dire.
International effort to bring a peaceful resolution to the ongoing fighting floundered as a Russian and US backed international peace conference between the Syrian government and the opposition failed to get off the ground as though the former was interested, at least in ?principle?, it seems that events on the ground told another story as heavy fighting in a number of key areas in the country saw the Syrian army gain the upper hand against the Syrian rebels and left any chance of peace talks far behind.
Of course while the international community has so far ruled out the possibility of any military intervention in Syria, one of the United States top military officer?s has outlined a possible intervention plan in Syria, sending an open letter to the US Senate to this effect.
Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen Martin Dempsey today detailed five military options that the US government could possibly take if intervention were called for, but the General cautioned that any intervention in the country would be considered an ?act of war.?
The five options themselves would be to either provide training, advising and assistance to the Syrian opposition, conduct limited strikes in the country or establish a no-fly zone around it, create buffer zones within the country or then try to control Damascus' chemical arms. While the first option has been mulled, in addition to establishing a no-fly zone, the others bring the US in direct contention with the Syrian government and the General also added that besides appearing bellicose, saying that, "The decision to use force is not one that any of us takes lightly. It is no less than an act of war," options 2 to 5 would also be gravely expensive, costing the US almost $1 billion a month. The first option however would only cost $500 million a year.
Commenting on the first option, Gen Dempsey said that before any assistance or training is provided the US must take heed from its involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying, "We have learned from the past 10 years, however, that it is not enough to simply alter the balance of military power without careful consideration of what is necessary in order to preserve a functioning state."
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