Once again, let me play devil’s advocate.
Aside from the obvious fact that no head of state, with or without the approval of his nation’s legislative branch, can inform the world that he intends to military attack another nation that threatens neither his own or any other country (despite Obama’s repeated and thoroughly dishonest invocations of “national security”) constituting a gross insult to the international order, look what in effect he has done:
He has put the whole world on notice, the way that a cat plays with a mouse before mauling and killing it, what he intends to do and reserves the sadistic right to keep all parties in suspense, capriciously if he chooses, for as long as suits him and his domestic agenda.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Iran, Russia and China are subjected to stewing in their own helplessness, their own utter impotence, for days or weeks – “for you know not the day not the hour” – and, moreover, their impotence is put on display before the entire world: The three nations are not able or willing to protect their closest allies or for that matter even themselves.
This new ploy by Washington has upped the ante by definitely confirming a military strike in advance (unlike Yugoslavia, Iraq and Libya where everyone may have assumed one but hoped it could be averted) and then defying anyone at home or abroad to do anything about it. That is, backing down the world.
Rick Rozoff
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