US, Britain And France Agree To Attack Syria Within Two Weeks

The Independent has changed the headline of the article and so this link …

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-air-attacks-loom-as-britain-and-us-pledge-to-use-force-within-two-weeks-8784435.html?printService=print

… now leads to this slightly different article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-un-weapons-inspectors-attacked-as-they-try-to-enter-alleged-poison-gas-attack-site-8784435.html

From the Independent:

Western countries, including Britain, are planning to take unilateral military action against the Assad regime within two weeks in retaliation for its alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians in Syria.

David Cameron discussed launching missile strikes against key regime targets during a 40-minute telephone call with Barack Obama on Saturday night and also with the French President François Hollande on Sunday. While Downing Street said western powers had not ruled out seeking UN endorsement for military action they added that they were also prepared to unilaterally.

So the ‘official’ start of WW3 is within two weeks then?

– US, Britain and France Agree to Attack Syria Within Two Weeks (Antiwar, Aug 25, 2013):

Initially Limited Strikes Aim to Avoid Serious War Debate

Discussing the matter in a 40 minute phone call on Saturday night, President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed in principle to start attacking Syria within the next two weeks. France, long calling for such a war, is also reportedly in on the idea.

British officials familiar with the situation say that they didn’t rule out seeking UN support for the war, but also don’t expect to actually get that support, and are prepared to ignore the UN and attack anyhow.

The initial attacks are expected to center almost entirely around missile strikes on “command and control” areas, from the US warships which have been moved into the area in the past few days.

Britain is said to be particularly eager to get the attacks going quickly to avoid having to deal with the prospect of parliament voting on the war, and possibly preemptively rejecting the attack. They are also hoping to keep the first strikes very limited to justify not consulting parliament ahead of time.

Limited strikes seem to be the preference of US officials as well, as many are reluctant to see Syria’s rebels actually swept into power by the attacks, even though they seem entirely comfortable to commit themselves to protracted military involvement in the nation.

The question of war debate in the US seems to be entirely beside the point, after President Obama managed to get the US into a Libyan War without even the obligatory after-the-fact Congressional authorization. The polls show the American public still opposed to war as well, but that clearly doesn’t matter to the administration.

Related info:

– Putin Responds To Syria Escalation: May ‘Reinforce Naval Grouping In Mediterranean’ Following US Buildup

– Russian Military Stages Biggest War Games Since Soviet Times

– Russia Readies Strategic Bombers In Snap Far East Military Drills