Thread by @Cheese12987

For those that are opponents of @TulsiGabbard position of regime change war in Syria, here are 13 questions you must answer before anyone considers the other option valid!
1) What national security interest, rather than pure ‘humanitarian’ interest, is served by the use

of American military power to depose Assad’s regime?
2) How will deposing Assad make America safer?
3) What does final political victory in Syria look like (be specific), and how long will it take for that political victory to be achieved? Do you consider victory to be

destabilization of Assad, the removal of Assad, the creation of a stable government that can protect itself and its people without additional assistance from the US
4) What military resources (e.g., ground troops), diplomatic resources, & financial resources will be required to

achieve this political victory?
5) How long will it take to achieve political victory?
6) What costs, in terms of lives (both military & civilian), dollars, & forgone options elsewhere as a result of resource deployment in Syria, will be required to achieve political victory?

7) What other countries will join us in deposing Assad, in terms of military,monetary,or diplomatic resources?
8) Should explicit congressional authorization for the use of military force in Syria be required, or should the president take action without congressional approval?

9) What is the risk of wider conflict with Russia, given that nation’s presence & stake in Syria, if the US chooses to invade & depose Assad, a key Russian ally in the Middle East?
10) If U.S. intervention in Syria does spark a larger war with Russia, what does political victory

in that scenario look like, & what costs will it entail?
11) Assuming the Assad regime is successfully removed from power, what type of government structure will be used to replace Assad, who will select that government, & how will that government establish and maintain stability

going forward?
12) Given that a change in political power in the US radically altered the American position in Iraq in 2009, how will you mitigate or address the risk of a similar political dynamic upending your preferred strategy in Syria, either in 2019, 2020, or beyond?

13) What lessons did you learn from America’s failure to achieve & maintain political victory following the removal of governments in Iraq and Libya, & how will you apply those lessons to a potential war in Syria?
Until these questions are answered with specificity, & until the

U.S. government is open & honest with the American people about regime change, it makes little sense to discuss the idea further with anyone that parrots corporate talking points such as ‘Assad apologist’ with absolutely no understanding of the HUMAN cost of war. #WhyTulsi

@mtaibbi rollingstone.com/politics/polit…