Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Diplomatic hand-wringing seems to be the strategy of choice for the worlds leading nations as the murder and mayhem continue in Syria. Obviously that wont do. But a bipartisan effort in Congress led by Texas Sen. John Cornyn may help shift the deadly inertia over Syria into effective action. It deserves broad support.
Cornyn has joined with Sen. Richard Durbin D-Ill. to champion an effort to pressure Russia Syrias major global ally into stopping delivering weapons to the Assad regime.
The bipartisan effort also would bolster an effort to force the Defense Department to cut ties with a Russian arms dealer Roseboronexport which is neck-deep in the murderous violence. Sen. Cornyn has recommended placing sanctions on the firm.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Cornyn wrote I remain deeply troubled that the Department of Defense would knowingly do business that has enabled mass atrocities in Syria. Such an action would follow logically from the U.S. governments broader sanctions against the Damascus regime.
In the words of Outlook contributor Elisa Massimino (Cornyn leading bipartisan effort to stop Syrias enablers Friday June 29) doing so would demonstrate U.S. commitment to resolving the crisis in Syria and send a firm message that the U.S. will not reward enablers of Syrias atrocities.
And so it would. In a different era in Washington there was a saying that politics stops at the waters edge. Since the Vietnam era that old saw has frequently been honored only in the breach.
The horror in Syria is as good a reason as any to revive it. We commend Sen. Cornyn for his active role in doing so.
Hand-wringing is no substitute for standing up to the thuggery engulfing Syria. Going after the enablers is the right way to start.
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. Diplomatic hand-wringing seems to be the strategy of choice for the worlds leading nations as the murder and mayhem continue in Syria. Obviously that wont do. But a bipartisan effort in Congress led by Texas Sen. John Cornyn may help shift the deadly inertia over Syria into effective action. It deserves broad support.
Cornyn has joined with Sen. Richard Durbin D-Ill. to champion an effort to pressure Russia Syrias major global ally into stopping delivering weapons to the Assad regime.
The bipartisan effort also would bolster an effort to force the Defense Department to cut ties with a Russian arms dealer Roseboronexport which is neck-deep in the murderous violence. Sen. Cornyn has recommended placing sanctions on the firm.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Cornyn wrote I remain deeply troubled that the Department of Defense would knowingly do business that has enabled mass atrocities in Syria. Such an action would follow logically from the U.S. governments broader sanctions against the Damascus regime.
In the words of Outlook contributor Elisa Massimino (Cornyn leading bipartisan effort to stop Syrias enablers Friday June 29) doing so would demonstrate U.S. commitment to resolving the crisis in Syria and send a firm message that the U.S. will not reward enablers of Syrias atrocities.
And so it would. In a different era in Washington there was a saying that politics stops at the waters edge. Since the Vietnam era that old saw has frequently been honored only in the breach.
The horror in Syria is as good a reason as any to revive it. We commend Sen. Cornyn for his active role in doing so.
Hand-wringing is no substitute for standing up to the thuggery engulfing Syria. Going after the enablers is the right way to start.
