Issued today by the Libertarian Party National Chair:
The Libertarian Party denounces last night’s strikes on Syria.
Purportedly these strikes were a retaliation for the release of a chemical agent which wounded and killed many Syrians earlier this week.
The use of chemical agents against civilians is abhorrent but, according to news reports, the cause of that chemical release is uncertain. It is believable that the Assad regime could have purposefully caused it but when war and peace are at stake, as they are now, we must not jump to conclusions, no matter how natural they may seem.
The situation in Syria is very complex. There is no clear, straight-forward path to peace. Additional air strikes will just kill more people and further inflame an already highly volatile situation.
For decades, the United States has pursued a foreign policy based on the idea that we can play policeman for the world. Time and time again we have seen this fail. Sadly, our intervention into Syria will be no different.
Launching missiles into Syria risks pitting the US against Russia in a proxy war. There is no way in which a proxy war can be beneficial for humanity, the United States, or Syria. Such a war will only elevate Russia on the world stage, further destroy Syria and Syrian lives, and cost the US many American lives and resources.
If the President wants to help the Syrian people, he should facilitate more refugees entering the United States to find safety here rather than demonizing them and hampering their escape from the dictator who is slaughtering them.
Since World War II, American foreign policy has been highly interventionist. This has dragged our country into many wars and conflicts that were not in the best interest of the American people. These wars and conflicts have cost many thousands of lives and billions of dollars and have not made the American people any safer. Our military is very powerful but these issues are too complex to be solved by military might.
The Libertarian Party calls for an end to interventionist foreign policy.
Specifically, the Libertarian Party recommends ending American military aggression in Syria and the rest of the Middle East. Our actions there, while meant to reduce terrorism, instead often serve as a rallying cry for terrorists and facilitate terrorist recruitment.
Nicholas Sarwark
Chair, Libertarian National Committee