Arab Allies Withhold Public Support for U.S. Strike on Syria

[Purveyor]

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and NOUR MALAS in Amman, Jordan

The U.S. is moving toward possible military strikes against Syria without the public support of any major Arab ally, reflecting broad unease in the region about another Western military intervention.

The lack of public endorsement from Arab governments, even from Saudi Arabia and other countries that have helped arm, train and fund rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leaves the West with little political cover regionally should any Western-led attack go badly.

Arab League delegates on Tuesday urged the United Nations Security Council, rather than the West, to take "deterrent" action against Syria to prevent a repeat of alleged chemical attacks on Aug. 21 in the suburbs of Damascus. In Cairo, Egypt Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy appeared to side against intervention, saying on Tuesday, "The solution for Syria must be diplomatic, not militaristic."

While senior Saudi officials have been urging the U.S. and others behind the scenes to support tougher action in Syria, Arab leaders for more than a year have publicly maintained that any international military action there should be sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council, where Russia and China have blocked action.

In an atmosphere poisoned by persistent violence in Iraq 10 years after the U.S. invasion there, and by top-level disputes between the U.S. and its Mideast allies over the international response to revolutions in Egypt and elsewhere, the Arab world at large is split over whether the West should intervene.

MORE...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324906304579038910953494966.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

[Scootaloo]

1. Wow. When even the lackeys and lapdogs don't back you up...

Bandar and Sisi are getting cold feet on this? Jesus, they don't even have to do anything, just smile and wave, go "I speak Arabic and I support this!" and get back to snorting blow off of solid gold dining tables.

[Cali_Democrat]

3. I'm not sure about that

I'm sure the folks who are funding the opposition are privately supporting US action.

I don't think they would publicly endorse it because of how unpopular the US is in the region.

[Scootaloo]

4. Perhaps so. But it's still very telling

Maybe the US should consider - if the guy with the most political influence in the region, and the guy with the strongest military in the region, both of whom seized and maintained power through openly sucking up to Uncle Sam, are both keeping mum because they're afraid of what shit will explode if they publicly support the US on this... What can we expect if we actually go through with it? What can those nations we go in with expect?

[leveymg]

2. And, it will go badly.

Hope the Administration isn't totally locked and loaded on this one. The "red line" was totally arbitrary anyway, so that it probably won't be too hard to reinterpret what that really means, again.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

5. They have no love for Assad,an Iranian stooge

But they have even less love for AQ, which will come for them along with the rest of AQ's enemies list. This is why they are also at odds with the US over the coup to displace the MB.