U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said on Tuesday that in the six days since voting "no" to authorize a limited military strike against Syria, he still doesn't see a military strategy for success.
Johnson said President Barack Obama hasn't laid out a sensible plan, and that public support is “crucial” in order for his administration to be committed to successful military action. Recent polling has consistently shown that a strong majority of Americans are opposed to a strike against Syria, he said.
One of the biggest problems Johnson said he sees is with the “unbelievably small strike” that he said Secretary of State John Kerry has been pushing. The senator said that if the U.S. largely acts alone and in too small a fashion, attention will be diverted from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime and towards a perceived war-hungry U.S. government.
There may be a peaceful solution, however. Syrian officials confirmed on Tuesday morning that it would accept a Russian-brokered deal to hand over its chemical weapons to avert U.S. military strikes. The Syrian government is accused of using chemical weapons against civilians in an attack last month.
“Even a credible U.S. threat can really do wonders in terms of bringing people to the table, which is, in the end, what we have to try to achieve here in Syria,” said Johnson. “There’s got to be a negotiated settlement. You don’t want another failed state.”
Johnson said he supports an “arm-and-shame” approach to Syria, meaning the U.S. should provide more assistance to the more moderate, western-leaning forces opposed to Assad and shame anybody who backs the current “criminal” Syrian leadership, including Russia.
“We’re certainly going to have to remove the Assad regime, but we’re going to have to assemble a coalition of the willing, a governing coalition to take over from the Assad regime,” said Johnson. “We’re going to need Russia to work with us on that, so it’s extremely important to try and develop a strengthening relationship with Russia at least as it relates to Syria.”
Obama is scheduled to address the latest developments on Syria during a speech to the nation Tuesday night. White House officials also said he will still ask Congress to approve the use of military force against Damascus.
