The U.S., U.K., and France are all considering varying degrees of intervention in the Syria conflict, one of which is a so-called "no-fly zone."
However, in a recent interview with Bloomberg Television, former Secretary of State Colin Powell perfectly outlined why such an intervention could turn into a quagmire the U.S. cannot afford.
From Bloomberg:
“We have to be very, very careful with some of the, ‘Well, let’s just go in and start bombing, let’s just go in and put in a no-fly zone.' I wouldn’t like a no-fly zone. If you want to take out the Syrian air force, take it out. Don’t just fly around in circles waiting for it to come up. That won’t be hard to do. But you have to understand, if that doesn’t work, are you then committed to take the next steps?”
“I have no use for President Assad. I’ve negotiated with him. He’s a pathological liar. You can’t trust anything he says,” Powell added. “But at the same time, I’m not sure what replaces him. And the conflict will not be over just because he suddenly walks away. I think a new conflict will emerge and we’ll have to determine what role we’ll play in resolving that one.”
What Powell is saying here is that if that initial punch of setting up a no-fly zone doesn't knock Assad out of office, the U.S. is effectively caught in the breach — forcing the administration to possibly take more drastic action.
A risky move for sure, especially with an American public who is deeply opposed to the idea of even any amount of intervention in Syria.
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