In the media, from the Spectrum to the New York Times, there has been a constant rallying cry. They are all, at once, advocating for some type of military escalation in Syria. The chemical attacks, allegedly by Assad, have been the catalyst for these pieces.

Before one more word gets printed, I have a question for these “We must do something” warriors: What did we accomplish by going into Iraq? We killed thousands of civilians, destabilized the nation, killed countless American troops, tore apart American families, and spent trillions of dollars, all while helping to create the power vacuum that ISIS filled. Did this help us? The clear answer is: Hell no, it made us worse off! So how will Syria be different? Will we get concrete proof before we invade, or will we have to rely on “Weapons of Mass Destruction” level assurances from our leaders? Will the Generals suddenly care about civilians? Will we have a plan to rehabilitate the troops after they come back? Will we be able to mend a broken region with more bombs? We all know that the answer to all of these questions is no.

So please, before you get on the war-train, think about the consequences of our actions. Do you know what you accomplish by killing one terrorist and three civilians in a bombing raid? You create at least three new terrorists, all at a multi-million dollar price tag per bombing run. This strategy has not, and will not, work.

Before you support strikes, ask how many Americans you are willing to have die so we can “help” Syria and the Middle East. As for me, I am sick of seeing good young people die at the hands of old, evil people. For the sake of our fallen troops in Iraq, let’s mind our own business and not solve the world’s issues with our bombs.

Bradley Foster

Junior

Political Science

(701) 205-2499