Yesterday, the United States Senate voted 10-7 for approval of limited military involvement in Syria. This vote was very chaotic, with many Senate members with strong opinions changing their minds literally hours before the official vote. Most Republicans, including myself, initially reacted in a very harsh manner, calling names and reporting half truths. However, in looking at this situation more critically and, more importantly, as an American, I have come to terms with a new opinion on the entire issue.

The chemical weapons used in Syria were in violation of the Geneva Protocol, a protocol that is supposed to be enforced by the United Nations. However, the United Nations has clearly not done enough to prevent the thousands of deaths of civilians in Syria, or this conflict would’ve ended before it began. Since the United Nations hasn’t done a proper job of keeping the peace in Syria and cracking down on the government, a super power nation has the responsibility to take action. In this case, the United States has chosen to accept the fact that we are going to be the ones to take action. As the only country in the world with the military and tactical abilities to enter Syria and complete the task within 90 days, isn’t it our responsibility to do this for the civilians of Syria that are dying at the hands of their leader?

Another argument made is that Barack Obama doesn’t have the authority to declare war without Congress’ approval. While this is true, we are not declaring war, simply taking military action. To blame this entire situation on one President who is within his boundaries to declare such an action can’t be right. Both Republican and Democrat Presidents have taken similar military actions over 100 times in America’s history.

Yet another thing I’ve heard many Republican acquaintances claim is that Obama is simply anti-American and doing something just to protect Muslims. It’s very easy to view this situation in that way, and to an extent I do agree. However, I must say that in this particular case, Obama hasn’t decided to defend people because they’re Muslims. He’s taking action to defend them because they were fighting for the rights that we often take for granted. He’s defending them because 1,429 civilians have died, including over 400 children. He’s taking action to defend Syria because he sees something that we may not be seeing - a fair democracy across the world.

I’m not writing this to denounce my Conservative views because I do still very much value them. I will never (Lord willing) shy away from my opinions. I’m simply sharing my thoughts on a very sensitive subject that I’ve noticed many people feel negatively about. I’m sharing my thoughts on why the greatest country on Earth needs to help a country wrapped in war.