Senators Hesitant to Respond to Mass Killings in Syria

Amid reported mass killings of ethno-religious minorities in Syria, senators are reluctant to recommend intervention in a region that has been a focal point of American foreign policy in years past.

It was a bloody weekend in Syria, where forces loyal to the government, jihadists, and individual actors reportedly killed hundreds of civilians. 

Many were Christians and Alawites, the latter being the ethno-religious group to which ousted former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad belongs. The killings were prompted by a previous clash between government forces and Assad-loyalist groups.

The United Nations condemned the killings, stating Monday that it had verified 111 slayings of civilians so far and had received reports of “entire families” being killed.

In a statement Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the killings.

 “The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, that murdered people in western Syria in recent days,” he said. “The United States stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities … . Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria’s minority communities accountable.”

At the Capitol, though, senators who spoke with The Daily Signal indicated a reluctance to recommend American action to remedy the situation.

“I’m aware of it. I have not received an in-depth briefing, but it’s horrible and stunning, very disturbing,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Asked if there were anything the United States could do to respond, he said, “There are diplomatic things and programming things that we could.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, indicated that he didn’t think the United States should rush into the region.

“I’m aware of it,” he said. “I do think there’s a role for us to play there, but sadly, those sorts of things are fairly common, and certainly regrettable. But again, we can’t be the world’s policemen.”

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told The Daily Signal in a statement that he was aware of the killings and chaos, and that he blames them on the Obama administration’s interventionist policies.

“The outrageous slaughter of Christians, Alawites, and other minority groups in Syria is the predictable result of the Obama-era foreign policy goal of destabilizing the secular Assad regime, and the foolish belief that the so-called ‘moderate rebels’ vying to replace him would bring anything than more killing,” said Lee.

He added, “America First means stopping our government and our taxpayer dollars from contributing to endless sectarian violence in Syria and around the world.”

Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said that he was “not familiar” with the killings, but when asked whether any American foreign policy missteps had contributed to the disorder in Syria, he said, “The chaos in Syria is because they have a dysfunctional country, and they’re ruled by a dictator.”