Monday, September 2, 2013

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- September 2, 2013

Pete Souza/White House via Flickr

Syria Strike Delay: Does It Make Obama A 'Weak President'? -- Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor

Congress appears split about a Syria strike, making matters difficult for President Obama. But even if Congress approves, Obama has taken an unusual step that could weaken the presidency.

Syria is already tweaking President Obama, hailing his decision to seek Congress's approval before launching a military strike as a "historic American retreat." Meanwhile, the leader of Mr. Obama's seeming ally, the opposition Syrian National Coalition, is calling him a "weak president," according to CNN.

The announcement Saturday that Congress will have a say on whether to punish the Syrian regime for allegedly using chemical weapons to kill 1,400 of its citizens is, on one hand, not entirely surprising. As both a senator and as president, Obama has been an unrepentant multilateralist. He engineered America's withdrawal from Iraq as speedily as possible and agreed to intervention in Libya only because the operation had United Nations approval and French and British leadership.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

On the Verge of Appeasement in Syria -- Michael Hirsh, National Journal

Is it 'High Noon' for Obama on Syria? -- Tom Cohen, CNN

Obama and the power to go to war -- Chris Edelson, L.A. Times

The War Precedent: Obama doesn't have to ask Congress to bomb Syria. But should he? -- Philip Bobbitt, Foreign Policy

An Accidental War: Perfunctory and ineffectual war-making in Syria is worse than nothing. -- Mark Steyn, NRO

France’s Case for Military Action in Syria -- Vivianne Walt, Time

As US weighs war, fears of power of jihadis in Syria -- Tom Peter, Christian Science Monitor

The west's threat to attack Syria is an idiotic gesture -- Simon Jenkins, The Guardian

Rue Britannia: How David Cameron got royally screwed by Ed Miliband over the Syrian intervention both men wanted. -- Alex Massie, Foreign Policy

Analysis: Libya protests threaten stability as oil output dives -- Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Reuters

Nigeria’s Reagan? -- Marian Tupy, Washington Times

Another Seinfeld Election for Australia -- By William Pesek, Bloomberg

Secularism in Retreat in France -- Soeren Ker, Real Clear World

Secularism is worth seeking, but Quebec's approach won't work -- Doug Saunders, The Globe and Mail

Has Wikileaks Been Infiltrated by Russian Spies? -- Joshua Foust, War is Boring

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