Letter to My Senators: Concerns Regarding American Attack on Syria

[flwyd]

Senator Bennet, I am writing you regarding this week’s American missile attack on a Syrian air base in response to President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against the people of Syria. Thank you for your statement on Thursday condemning the attacks and calling for action to be taken only with proper approval.

Senator Gardner, I am writing you regarding this week’s American missile attack on a Syrian air base in response to President Bashar al-Assad’s use of chemical weapons against the people of Syria. Thank you for your statement on Thursday in support of “saving the Syrian people from slaughter.” I share your goal of ending the suffering of the people of Syria and effecting an end to the civil war which has ravaged their lives for the last six years.

I have three concerns about this situation, and I would like you to address them through the Senate and in conversations with members of the administration.

First—Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the executive, the power to declare war and to punish offenses against the law of nations. President Trump launched this missile strike without Congressional approval and news reports indicate that he didn’t inform any in Congress about the action until it had completed. This attack on Syria was thus unconstitutional and not in accordance with the separation of powers granted by our founding fathers. I urge you to insist that any further military action be taken only after approval from Congress and in accordance with the Constitution. In matters of military action and foreign intervention, the American people deserve to have our voice heard through our elected representatives.

Second—American military intervention in Syria does not have a clear path to success and is likely to make things worse before they get better. Iran, long-term allies of Assad’s Alawite government, and Russia with its sole Mediterranean naval base at Tartus, are unlikely to let the present regime fall. Additionally, the opposition groups best positioned to defeat the government are aligned with Salafist jihadi movements. A military defeat of the Assad government could easily lead to an even bloodier battle between the Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-aligned Army of Conquest factions. An eventual victory by either would likely lead to brutal crimes against religious and ethnic minorities across Syria. Rather than American military escalation, please urge President Trump to apply his famed skill in negotiation through talks with the Syrian factions and their international backers, including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Successful negotiations will involve groups with which the U.S. is not on friendly terms—including designated terrorist groups—but military de-escalation and broad support for a peace deal is the only path to long-term stability in Syria.

Third—one of the most important actions the United States can take to help the people of Syria is to provide support to the more than 3 million refugees who have fled the country’s conflict in the last six years. President Trump has sought twice to ban Syrian entry into the United States. I urge you to instead support expansion of the U.S. Refugee Admission Program. The Department of State is well positioned to evaluate refugee applications—no traveler to the United States is subject to more rigorous security screening than the refugees the U.S. Government considers for admission.[1] Additionally, I hope you will support humanitarian and financial aid in concert with our allies in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and elsewhere who play host to millions of Syrians in refugee camps. The cost of Thursday’s missile attack has been reported at $90 million. A similar sum could provide a great deal of food, clothing, and shelter for those affected by the conflict.

Thank you for your consideration,
Trevor Stone
Boulder, CO 80304

[1] From the State Department’s USRAP FAQ

Comments

Reply from Sen. Gardner

[flwyd]

Dear Mr. Stone,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the current situation in Syria. I appreciate you taking the time to write. It is an honor to serve you in the United States Senate and I hope you will continue to write with your thoughts and ideas on moving our country forward.

Last Congress, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced S. 756, the Syrian War Crimes Accountability Act of 2015, which denounces the continued violence by the Syrian government and would require the Department of State to inform Congress on all human right violations in Syria. On June 11, 2015, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, on which I serve, passed this legislation out of committee by unanimous consent. On July 14, 2015, this legislation passed the Senate. However, S. 756 expired without becoming law at the end of last Congress.

The ongoing crisis in Syria is escalating—according to the United Nations, 400,000 people have lost their lives, over one million wounded, and over three million have fled the country as refugees. On August 30, 2013, the United States government assessed with "high confidence" that the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people. On April 4, 2017, Bashar al-Assad once again used chemical weapons against his own people, violating the agreement reached in 2013 between Syria and the international community to remove all Syria’s chemical weapons. On April 7, 2017, the U.S. took action against this treacherous regime whose actions and allies have shown the world the dark edge of humanity. The use of chemical weapons is illegal under international law and the Administration is well justified taking this long-overdue action against a designated state sponsor of terrorism. I believe this action must be part of a broader strategy to achieve the following U.S. national security goals: to ultimately remove a brutal and lawless regime from power that is in violation of international law, to eradicate the Islamic State and associated groups, and to achieve a clear humanitarian goal of saving the Syrian people from a slaughter.

Please rest assured, I will keep your thoughts in mind on this issue. Again, thank you for contacting me, and do not hesitate to do so again when an issue is important to you.

Sincerely,
Cory Gardner
United States Senator