President Obama was widely expected to make the case for a military strike against President Assad's regime in his speech this evening.
Obama may still try to persuade Americans that a military strike should be launched against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, following a chemical attack last month that the U.S. government says killed over 1,400 people. But he’ll likely also address the possibility of a diplomatic solution, since Syria has agreed to a proposal to turn over its chemical weapons to international monitors.
While the President’s speech will mostly likely be affected by events that are changing by the hour, local Syrians’ expectations have remained the same.
“Something should be done . . . to show Assad and other tyrants in the world, like Iran and North Korea and other countries, that using chemical or biological or nuclear weapons is not acceptable any more,” said Nouras Samo, a court interpreter from Clifton, N.J. Samo has been meeting with lawmakers in his state for days, urging them to support a resolution authorizing use of force in Syria. He said that it doesn’t make sense to change course just because Assad might be willing to give up chemical weapons.
“It’s like somebody who’s a serial killer and kills so many people and finally he said ‘I give up, and I’ll give you all my tools. And I’ll show you the bodies of those people I killed.’” Samo said. “You just cannot let this person free. You have to bring this person to justice.”
Syrian-Americans who oppose U.S. involvement in their home country will also be watching Obama’s speech. Among them is Dr. Ghias Moussa, a cardiologist from Florham Park, N.J., who said he hopes the President will turn to diplomacy, even if it hasn’t worked so far.
“What I would like him to say is to take the high road, that we are the moral people,” said Moussa. “We are to support everybody to come to a table to discuss their differences and stop the killing and go toward a democracy in a peaceful way.”