US will not intervene in Syria as it has in Libya, says Hillary Clinton

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

US secretary of state's comments reported after Syrian state-run news agency says armed gangs attacked neighbourhoods in port city of Latakia

Sunday March 27 2011 13.37 BST


People in Cairo demonstrate against the Syrian government after the
violence in Latakia. Photograph: AP

The US secretary of state, Hilary Clinton, has said the US will not intervene in Syria in the way it has in Libya.

Clinton was speaking in an interview recorded on Saturday and broadcast in the US on Sunday, hours after the Syrian government said 12 people had been killed during unrest in the port city of Latakia.

She said it was not yet clear how the situation in Syria would develop, and indicated that the violence was not at the same level as in Libya.

Clinton said the Syrian government's crackdown on protests had not yet engendered global condemnation or calls from the Arab League and others for a no-fly zone.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/27/report-12-killed-syrian-port-city

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In answer to all those who were asking earlier.

[Countdown_3_2_1]

1. Translation: No Oil.

[Shiver]

4. Actually Syria has lots of oil.

So your argument fails.

[daleo]

15. Syria is listed 32nd with 0.18% of global reserves

Libya is 9th with 3.38% of global reserves.

Syria has a population of about 18 million, Libya about 6 million.

Libya's military is lists at 76,000, while Syria's is 318,000 (Chambers Reference Atlas).

So Libya is a much richer target and less trouble to subdue - about 20 times the oil and one third the population and army. That makes it roughly 60 times a more logical target for acquisition. This is M&A 101.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_proven_oil_reserves

[Shiver]

16. Okay, lots of oil may have been an exaggeration.

I just made a quick look on Wikipedia and saw that oil was it's largest exports. I didn't look at how it compared to other countries. The previous poster's assertion was that there was no oil, and that was all I was looking to disprove.

Also, I never took M&A 101. I'm a Graphic Design major.

[high density]

2. The Arab League now controls what conflicts we get involved in?

Great.

[robcon]

3. Translation: Assad can continue to attack his countrymen.

The Syrian dictator is off the hook. No consequences to the massacres of protesters.

At least we could have said something like: 'We're looking carefully at the situation' - that might have restrained Assad.

[Turborama]

5. According to the next paragraph, she also said...

"Certainly we deplore the violence in Syria, we call as we have on all of these governments ... to be responding to their people's needs, not to engage in violence, permit peaceful protests and begin a process of economic and political reform."

[robcon]

6. But that's just boilerplate "don't kill people." It will have no effect on Assad.

It's only the threat of a Libya-like action that would restrain him, IMO.

[Turborama]

7. It's not the "something like" you were thinking of?

Ok. I haven't seen the full interview yet, hopefully she does say something stronger. Not sure if he'll take any notice even if she does, though.

[robcon]

10. I think a vague/veiled threat is what i was looking for.

Words like "don't kill any more people" mean nothing to Assad, or to most dictators.

Threats are far more potent in changing behavior.

[nalnn]

21. +1

[bemildred]

8. I don't think Little Assad is cut from the same cloth as Col. Ghaddaffi.

Not that it will be pretty, but it might not get as bad as Libya. An Egyptian scenario is entirely possible.

[David__77]

9. If violence does escalate, it will be interesting to see the US response.

Will be act as rebels' air force in two countries?

[mazzarro]

11. I think the true translation is...

Libyan invasion/no-fly shit is another cover name for avenging the Lockerbie bombing - period. Stop beating around the bush. Syria, Bahrian, Saudi Arabia, etc will be allowed more room to slaughter people in the name of stability - but Libya, Iran - no dice!

[daleo]

12. "in the way it has in Libya"

That phrase leaves plenty of wiggle room.

[subterranean]

13. Exactly. We might intervene in a different way.

[pampango]

14. Will be interesting to see if France and the UK push for UN action on Syria like

they did on Libya. The US may eventually abstain, veto, or approve UN action in Syria, but it doesn't look like it's going to be a force pushing any action through the Security Council. Even if UN Security Council action on Syria gets approved by the UK, France and the US, this time China and/or Russia may well veto it after expressing reservations about what happened in Libya after they abstained on that vote.

[joshcryer]

19. Agreed. But I personally would prefer it not escalate to that point.

[riverwalker]

17. I bet Assad is not sleeping

as well lately anyway.

[Fool Count]

18. We all know what that means:

On to Damascus!

[and-justice-for-all]

20. That entire region is coming undone...nt