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The Obama administration’s proposal for a military strike on Syria has not swayed students at UNM.
A protest held at the UNM Bookstore on Friday demonstrated the University community’s skepticism of Obama’s plan.
Jordan Whelch, a UNM alumnus who organized the rally, said the Obama administration should not intervene in Syria, especially considering the opposition from the international community.
“It’s really amazing that after the international community has spoken very clearly against military intervention in Syria, the Obama administration still feels it should unilaterally initiate military force,” he said.
Talks about military intervention in Syria started among the permanent members of the United Nation Security Council two weeks ago after the U.N. started an investigation into Syrian President Bashar Assad’s possible use of chemical weapons against rebel forces. The five permanent members of the Security Council are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
On Aug. 29, the British Parliament rejected Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal for military intervention in Syria. That day, Russia and China officially stated their support for Assad.
But on Aug. 31, Obama announced that although he was willing and ready to start a military strike against Syria, he would seek Congress’ decision on the matter first. He said he planned to seek a Congressional vote on the planned intervention after Labor Day.
According to French news agency Agence France-Presse, French President François Hollande said on Aug. 31 that he “has felt the same resolution beside Obama” and that he has decided that France will serve as the U.S.’s principal ally in the proposed operation.
Whelch said he thinks the Congressional vote regarding Syria could go either away.
“The Senate Foreign Relations Committee already approved a measure 10 to 7, so if that’s any indication of how Congress is going to vote, then we can expect the worst, I think,” he said. “There is nevertheless a very real possibility that especially younger generation congressmen of both parties will vote against a war in Syria.”
According to a national NBC poll on Aug. 30, 50 percent of respondents opposed military action in Syria, while 42 percent supported it.
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey appeared at a hearing before Congress Tuesday to defend Obama’s proposal for military action against Syria, according to CBS.
Kerry said the administration maintains there will be “no American boots on the ground.” He said the Obama administration did not want to take responsibility for Syria’s civil war, but also said “this is not the time to be spectators to slaughter,” according to the article.
Still, students at UNM still seem reluctant to support the president’s decision.
Wiley Abt, a freshman majoring in physics, said the U.S. is “going a bit too far.”
“If we could stop what was going on, that would be great. And if we could do that bloodlessly, that would be wonderful,” he said. “But it’s really not our place to interfere. I feel like we’re really overstepping our bounds internationally.”
Ryan Cordova, a junior majoring in business administration, also said the U.S. should stay out of Syria.
“I think we always too often lend a helping hand,” he said. “I don’t think we should be going there.”
Leonardo Gutierrez said he needs to be more informed on the issue, but predicts Congress will decide not to intervene.
“My guess would be, from my understanding and what I’ve looked at, Congress will say no,” he said. “And even if they say no, I understand Obama still has the option to go to Syria and do what he has to do.”
Kayleigh Wood, a sophomore, said she doesn’t want the U.S. to intervene in Syria. She said she does not think Congress will vote for military intervention.
“I don’t think that they’re going to do it,” she said. “I feel like this is more of Obama’s plan than it is Congress’s plan and I don’t feel like Congress is going to agree with him.”
Obama will directly make his case in a nationally televised address from the White House on Tuesday. Congress will discuss the possible intervention when it returns to Washington, D.C. today, and will decide on the topic over the next two weeks.
