http://news.antiwar.com/2012/08/30/dempsey-backs-away-from-obamas-threat-to-intervene-in-syria/
Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff General Martin Dempsey stressed while on a trip to London that direct military action in Syria, even simply no-fly zones, might be beyond the US and NATO’s capabilities and counter to their interests.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs General Martin Dempsey made the comments on Thursday in London, pushing back against US and Israeli warmongers who have advocated for a preemptive military strike on Iran for a nuclear weapons program it doesn’t even have.
Dempsey Backs Away from Obama’s Threat to Intervene in Syria
Dempsey warned against the viability of creating safe zones and helping bring rebels with terrorist ties to power in Syria
by John Glaser, August 30, 2012
The top general of America’s military on Thursday backed away from President Obama’s threats to intervene militarily in Syria against the Assad regime, warning that the worst-case scenario would be some kind of failed state in the embattled country.
Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff General Martin Dempsey stressed while on a trip to London that direct military action in Syria, even simply no-fly zones, might be beyond the US and NATO’s capabilities and counter to their interests.
Last week President Obama warned that his “calculation” to refrain from direct military intervention in Syria “could change” if Syria’s chemical or biological weapons begin “moving around or being utilized,” describing the WMD issue as a “red line” that would prompt direct military action, like setting up safe zones, no-fly zones, or worse.
But Dempsey explained it wouldn’t be that easy. He said frequent comparison of the Syrian situation with that in Libya, where a “no-fly zone” was imposed following a United Nations resolution, is at best a source of “amusement.”
General Dempsey warned that possible safe zones for refugees were not being considered for inside Syria, cautioning that imposing them could open the path to a breakout of war.
“If you chose to establish [a safe zone/no-fly zone] you would assume the responsibility for protecting it. If you are tasked to protect it you have to look at those who might seek to attack it or to influence it and that could take you, depending on weapons systems, it could take you to a limited no-fly zone it could take you to the point of having to interdict air and ballistic missile systems,” he said.
As far as forcibly ousting the Assad regime, Dempsey said, such a move would be far too destabilizing. He said a failed state in Syria would be the worst-case scenario and warned against allowing armed extreme jihadists and rebels with ties to al-Qaeda to increase their influence and expand control in a post-Assad Syria.
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Dempsey: ‘I Don’t Want to Be Complicit’ in Israeli Strike on Iran
The top US general warned against an Israeli attack on Iran, which would be counterproductive and dangerous
by John Glaser, August 30, 2012
The United States will not be ‘complicit’ in an Israeli military strike on Iran, America’s top military general warned on Thursday, adding that such an attack would not only fail to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, but could prompt Iran to reconstitute its weapons programs.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staffs General Martin Dempsey made the comments on Thursday in London, pushing back against US and Israeli warmongers who have advocated for a preemptive military strike on Iran for a nuclear weapons program it doesn’t even have.
He warned that an attack by Israel would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program.” This falls in line with previous analysis by the Obama administration and experts that Iran’s nuclear enrichment is too redundant to be completely destroyed by Israeli attacks and that such a move may encourage the Iranians to actually start making weapons to serve as a deterrent for further strikes.
For now, Dempsey said, whether Iran even wants nuclear weapons is inconclusive. But he did warn that diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran “could be undone if [Iran] was attacked prematurely.”
Previous attempts at cooling the fiery war rhetoric coming from the Israeli leadership and some warmongers in Washington have not sunk in. But Dempsey’s warnings about the counterproductive and dangerous implications of a needless war on Iran could help lessen the chances of an Israeli attack in the near-term.
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