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People’s Daily: The Consequences of Using Force against Syria Will Be More Serious than the Iraq War

A People Daily (overseas edition) article commented on the U.S. intention to intervene in Syria for its use of chemical weapons to kill civilians. Below is an excerpt from the article: 

“In the last few days, the so-called Syria ‘Chemical Weapons’ issue has been getting hotter and hotter. The United States and some other Western countries have suddenly increased their intensity about using force against Syria. … It seems that a ‘fight’ is imminent and inevitable. As for whether the U.N. team has completed its investigation [on the use of chemical weapons], whether there is definitive evidence for the accusation against the Syrian government, and whether the U.N. Security Council will authorize the use of force against Syria, all these matters seem too trivial for the Western countries to care about.
“It doesn’t matter whether it is a Humanitarian disaster or the ‘red line’ of using chemical weapons, these are just excuses to attack opponents and gain interests. For a long time, from Kosovo to Iraq, then to Libya, Western countries have been adept at this kind of trick. 
“However, the more they play these tricks, the more clearly people can see through them to their true face. Ten years ago the United States launched the Iraq war, resulting in more than 100,000 deaths of Iraqi civilians. A long time ago, the excuse for that war had already been proven to be a poor lie. Two years ago, the Western Countries, under the guise of ‘protecting civilians,’ launched a military action against Libya, causing more than 30,000 civilians to be killed in Libya. More distressingly, Iraq and Libya have not yet gotten over of the after-effects of these wars. Unrest and bloodshed still continue. Terrorist extremists are on the rise. They are still struggling on the edge of a ‘failing state.’ The Western countries use force and leave behind a ‘mess.’ Almost all of the consequences have to be paid by the people from these regions. The lesson is quite profound. 
“Compared to the above cases, the consequences of the use of force against Syria will be more severe. … External military intervention can neither fundamentally solve the problem of chemical weapons; nor is it the right way to resolve the crisis in Syria. …
“The ‘chemical weapons’ problem is a very serious issue. One cannot hastily jump to a conclusion without conclusive evidence. Unfortunately, the United States and some other Western countries seem to have decided on the ‘presumption of guilt’ instead of having an objective investigation and on using military intervention instead of political dialogue. This exposes their true purpose: It is not really to solve the ‘chemical weapons’ problem; rather, there is an eagerness to ‘plug contraband’ to help the opposition, in order to speed up the turnover of the government and establish international rules and an international order in their favor. The international community must remain vigilant against this kind of naked hegemonic act.” 
Source: People’s Daily, August 29, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-08/29/c_125270038.htm