Syria

[HairOfTheDog]

His actions almost seem to be provoking the US. So he murders a bunch of innocent people to pick a fight with the US, and then worse, deny it. It's all so evil.

100 000+ people have been murdered throughout this conflict. Those peoples lives matter. If that was you HoTD or your family, I would be vocal too and call for justice. He needs to be made accountable.

I don't think the actions taken by the Syrian government or by the rebel forces were carried out with the goal of picking a fight with the US.

It's a fight for power within Syria - some legitimate Syrian protestors who wanted change and embraced the Arab Spring, some legitimate loyalists who were happy with the progress made in Syria to that point and with their leaders, some terrorist infiltration on both sides (looking to get a stronghold and exploiting the internal strife and stoking the flames), some political influences from outside parties/countries...

I don't see it in as black and white of terms as you do, aussie, which is fine. Different points of view.

Holding people accountable for crimes (war crimes or otherwise), to me, requires having solid evidence as to who did what, along with defining the appropriate party(s) to pursue and exact the appropriate punitive measures.

Also, timing is critical, the impact on global relations matters a great deal, and the non-Syrians who would be putting their lives on the line to intervene in the civil war are at least equally deserving of consideration as the lives of those in Syria.

Innocent civilians die in war. I hate war. What's been transpiring in Syria is a terrible tragedy and the lives lost there matter; they aren't just numbers in a news piece. On that we agree.

The US Senate voted in favor of Obama's proposal for a retaliatory bombing today. We'll soon see how the whole of Congress votes. Whichever way it goes (action or inaction), I hope the net result for all parties involved/vested/affected isn't increased losses and tensions.