Arabs Brace for Possible US Strike on Syria

August 29, 2013

The threat of a U.S. military strike on Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapon attack by the Assad government has set an already tense Middle East further on edge.

The carnage near Damascus last week has appalled many throughout the Middle East. But possible retaliation by the United States, acting alone or in partnership, has left others equally unsettled.

Policy analyst Joel Rubin, of the Ploughshares Fund, says Washington might wait until it has broader support for any military action.

"It is possible that the administration will want to go to the United Nations, will want to seek some level of affirmation for those efforts to get some legitimacy from an international body. It’s not 100 percent clear that they will do that," he said.

The U.S. has failed to get regional backing. The Arab League - which two years ago approved Western military intervention in Libya - is pressing for a diplomatic resolution.

"Clearly a lot of members of the Arab League probably unofficially support these strikes but, in terms of the domestic message, American strikes and Western military operations in the Middle East are still very contentious and potentially sources of instability and discontent,” said Syria analyst Torbjorn Soltveldt, of Maplecroft Risk Assessment, speaking to VOA via Skype.

Military forces around Syria