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Coyotl

(15,262 posts)
Wed Sep 11, 2013, 12:11 PM Sep 2013

Chomsky: Instead of "Illegal" Threat to Syria, U.S. Should Back Chemical Weapons Ban in All Nations

VIDEO: http://www.democracynow.org/2013/9/11/chomsky_instead_of_illegal_threat_to

In a national address from the White House Tuesday night, President Obama announced he is delaying a plan to strike Syria while pursuing a diplomatic effort from Russia for international monitors to take over and destroy Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons. However, Obama still threatened to use force against Syria if the plan fails. We get reaction to Obama’s speech from world-renowned political dissident and linguist, MIT Professor Emeritus Noam Chomsky. "The Russian plan is a godsend for Obama," Chomsky says. "It saves him from what would look like a very serious defeat. He has not been able to obtain virtually any international support, and it looked as though Congress wasn’t going to support it either, which would leave him completely out on a limb. This leaves him a way out: He can maintain the threat of force, which incidentally is a crime under international law. We should bear in mind that the core principle of the United Nations Charter bars the threat or use of force. So all of this is criminal, to begin with, but he’ll continue with that."

Transcript

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Chomsky: Instead of "Illegal" Threat to Syria, U.S. Should Back Chemical Weapons Ban in All Nations (Original Post) Coyotl Sep 2013 OP
Umm... vdogg Sep 2013 #1
I assume 1awake Sep 2013 #2
Chomsky is talking about Israel Enrique Sep 2013 #3

vdogg

(1,384 posts)
1. Umm...
Wed Sep 11, 2013, 12:28 PM
Sep 2013

We do back a chemical weapons ban in all countries, and have destroyed most of our own arsenal. So has Russia. I think the issue here is that Syria actually used these weapons, it's not like they were picked on just because. Other than that, I agree with the thrust of the article but I question what the enforcement mechanism will be if the threat of the use of force is off the table.

1awake

(1,494 posts)
2. I assume
Wed Sep 11, 2013, 12:31 PM
Sep 2013
I question what the enforcement mechanism will be if the threat of the use of force is off the table.



I assume it would be the same enforcement techniques stated in the same chemical weapons ban papers... the one's our government is ignoring.
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