The world waits as US military action in Syria seems to be imminent

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury The world awaits anxiously the near-inevitable military actions by the United States in Syria while scepticism has increased over the success of such tough measures because of myriad complications that the White House also acknowledges about the measure. President Barack Obama said his administration is weighing all aspects of the military actions in Syria as he squarely blames the Bashar al-Assad regime for the use of poison gas in the 28-month-old Syrian civil war. The US president has made it abundantly clear that Washington has a responsibility like its counterparts in the rest of the world to respond to the use of chemical weapons by the Damascus authority. The latter, however, denies the allegation and says it would confront the American aggression with all might. President Obama, meanwhile, said that no ground troops would be involved in the operation against Syria; only "limited" and missile attacks from the American warships are likely to occur anytime, barring unforeseen development. The spectre of the US military strike following the deaths of a large number of people in poison gas on August 21 in the east of Syrian capital, Damascus, grew alarmingly. But it has evidently slackened as Washington's main ally -- Britain -- poured cold water on the impending military action. The British Prime Minister David Cameron's enthusiasm in taking part in actions against the Assad regime, along with the US suffered a setback as the British parliament rejected the proposal from the government for prior approval for military actions. Mr Cameron, who had strongly backed Obama's pledge to ensure that Syria faces "consequences" for its alleged use of chemical weapons, said he would respect the will of the parliament. This development is attributed to the British participation in the 2003 US-led invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq, based on a false claim about weapons of mass destructions. As such, British military cooperation is unlikely while another European ally of the US -- France -- is hell bent upon "teaching" a lesson to those, who used poison gas. Interestingly, France is the former colonial ruler of Syria. Turkey, an American ally and neighbour of Syria, wants "broader" military actions for a change of regime in Damascus. President Obama says it is not Washington's objective as the military actions are meant for warning president Assad not to resort to a similar crime again. But Jordan, an American ally and also a neighbour of Syria, favours diplomacy over military actions to soothe the explosive condition. Powerful Arab nations -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar -- are staunch supporters of the Syrian rebels. On the other side of the political spectrum, Syria's main international backer, Russia, considers the US postures as "unacceptable". It has warned of a catastrophe in the event of an American-led military actions against Damascus. Iran, a strong regional ally of Syria, says that the accusations of use of chemical weapons are tailored by the Syrian rebels and their supporters like Israel and the West to create a ground for attacking Syria. President Assad has denied use of poison gas against his own people and called the American responses as the "same old tale". Russia and Iran are unlikely to be involved militarily in the event of American strike in Syria, but are not expected to sit idle either as they would use all the leverages in favour of Assad in this dire situation. Pro-Iranian "Hezbollah" military organization in Lebanon is already involved in some ways in the civil war of Syria. Tel Aviv fears that Syria and Hezbollah may not remain fully silent against it if the US attacks Syria. Israel is rabidly anti-Assad and the main US ally in the Middle East. The plan of President Obama's administration to lunch a military action against Syria is being received with serious reservations by many in the US military, which is already coping with the scars of two lengthy wars -- Afghan and Iraq, according to current and former officers. The White House has acknowledged the "war fatigue", but insists that it cannot shy away from an onerous responsibility to act against offenders of a serious crime. This position of the US notwithstanding, the administration is not oblivious of the likely complications in the military strike including a rapidly contracting budget that will receive the pinch of the adverse effects of a military action, regardless of the fact how "limited" it would be. Besides, the international laws are also a matter of concern since it is being done -- if it is done finally -- without the United Nations (UN) approval. Needless to say, Russia and China would block any anti-Syria moves in the UN's Security Council (UNSC) by the West. But Washington is not much bothered about international laws as it was earlier reflected during the time of the Iraq invasion by the previous Bush administration. The US says it can act if its interests are in jeopardy and its allies are threatened. President Obama says that Assad's actions are not only dangerous for his own people, but also for others and world as a whole. True, if Assad regime has committed such an heinous act, it deserves tough punishment. However, it remains still unclear whether the regime had really committed it while US Secretary of State John F. Kerry said the regime's culpability of crime is "undeniable". The US President also said that Syria crossed the "red line" that warrants American response. The US also feels that it can go alone in actions against Syria and all measures are believed to be taking shape in that direction. It is possible that the actions may have already begun when this column is published in a fast developing situation. A delay is also not totally unlikely while none really foresees that the US would roll back from its military plans in Syria. Meanwhile, all the eyes are focused on the report by the UN inspectors, who had gone to Syria for investigating the use of chemical weapons. The members of the team have just returned to New York to give their final report. The Syrian issue has become the main subject of discussions everywhere in the United States -- relegating other matters like the Egyptian situation and national politics into the background. Many members of the Congress -- cutting across their party lines -- are asking the president to seek an approval or, at least, discuss the matter before striking Syria. The latest report here said that the American warships are very much poised for an assault on the military installations in Syria. Defence secretary Chuck Hagel has made it clear that all preparations are complete and instruction of the president is awaited. President Obama is scheduled to meet the opposition Republican lawmakers and brief them about the Syrian crisis and US response. E-mail: zaglulbss@yahoo.com