Round 1
Peter Nouhan – The Syrian Civil War is now in its sixth year. Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives and more than 13 million were forced to leave their homes. This has prompted the worst refugee crisis in modern history as millions of Syrians have flooded neighboring countries, some even attempting the arduous journey to Europe. Meanwhile the Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad, continues to bomb civilians and rebel groups who are fighting for their freedom. Additionally, Assad has lost control of more than half of his country, allowing the Islamic State to establish territory from which it can plan and execute terrorist activities. The United States has a crucial role in maintaining international security and cannot ignore terrorist groups that might fill the power vacuum. Furthermore, we need to offer aid to refugees displaced by the conflict to avoid a larger humanitarian disaster.
Sam LaMarche (Young Americans for Liberty) – It is true that the Syrian Civil War has produced a devastating humanitarian crisis. However, due to the complex political and diplomatic situation in the middle-east, the solution is not simple. This war involves many sides, and no matter which side the United States takes, there is the risk of another violent opposition group gaining strength and making the situation even worse. As for the refugee situation, the United States is currently not capable of supporting an influx of refugees, since there is a risk of terrorist sympathizers making their way to the mainland United States. It would be more reasonable for the US to use its diplomatic strength on the world stage to convince other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, to take in refugees. With this solution, there would be less logistics involved in moving the refugees a shorter distance, while keeping them in a region of similar cultural norms, allowing them to more easily cope with the move.
Round 2
LaMarche – The Syrian Civil War is the latest in a series of Middle Eastern conflicts that have brewed since the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. During that time, European countries partitioned Ottoman territory. While this event led to the creation of the free state of Israel, it has also led to resentment of the Western powers by natives. Involvement in the Syrian Civil War will only give terrorists more reason to preach the destruction of Western values. On top of that, this war is a complex crisis, with world powers taking different sides. Russia supports Assad, and IS, the greatest threat to US national security, opposes Assad. Any US act that weakens Assad is thus likely to strengthen IS and intensify the terrorist threat, while also weakening our relations with Russia. While Assad may be a brutal dictator, the US government has an obligation to protect the lives of its own citizens. Opposing Assad does the opposite.
Nouhan – Perhaps the best way that the United States could help alleviate the crisis in Syria without military action, is by accepting more refugees and asylum seekers. According to Amnesty International, nearly 5 million Syrian refugees are in just five countries: Turkey (2.7 million), Lebanon (1 million), Jordan (650,000), Iraq (3.1 million), and Egypt (115,000). Furthermore, the European Union received approximately 1.3 million refugees in 2015 alone. Meanwhile, the United States accepted a dismal 12,486 in all of 2016. While it may be politically unpopular to accept more refugees, we are already committing hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid. Those investments could be seeing returns within the United States if we invited more refugees to live and work in America. Importantly, no person accepted to the United States as a refugee, Syrian or otherwise, has carried out a fatal terrorist attack since the Refugee Act of 1980.
Round 3
Nouhan – The Middle East is a mess of competing interests, some supporting the Assad regime and others working against him. The United States and other G7 leaders are currently working against Assad and plan to continue to work against him for the foreseeable future. There is an effort right now to pressure Russia to stop supporting Assad. If America were to pull out of Syria and discontinue future involvement, then we will have to deal with the consequences of a longer civil war with more casualties and more refugees. Assad lost his legitimacy as the leader of Syria when he starting shooting, bombing, and gassing his own people to maintain power. The United States, and the international community, have an obligation to intervene, remove Assad from power, and to facilitate the peaceful transition of power to the Syrian people. America should not act alone in this effort – something we should have learned from our intervention in Iraq.
LaMarche – It may sound good for America to be the policeman of the world. However, it is important to look back and observe the outcomes of America’s aggressive foreign policy. When the US ended the war in Iraq, a power vacuum developed. This led to the rise of ISIS, the number one threat to the US, and a leading player in the Syrian Civil War. When the US meddles in foreign conflicts, it does not always lead to a good outcome, however good the intentions. To top it all off, the United States is currently running a 20 trillion dollar debt. A large portion of which comes from military expenditures. In order to pay down this debt, the US must prioritize its foreign policy goals, and make drastic cuts in military spending where there is waste. Assad should not be high on our priority list, as he poses no direct threat to US security. ISIS, however, does.
