Failure to take military action against Syria would send a dangerous signal to Iran, North Korea and other US foes, Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday.
“Our inaction would surely give them a permission slip for them to at least misinterpret our intention, if not to put it to the test,” Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Hezbollah militants in Lebanon are “hoping that isolationism will prevail and North Korea is hoping that ambivalence carries the day,” he said.
“They are all listening for our silence.” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel offered a similar view, arguing that if the United States chose not to act, it would appear weak in the showdown with Iran over its nuclear program.
“A refusal to act would undermine the credibility of America's other security commitments, including the president's commitment to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Hagel told the same hearing.
http://dawn.com/news/1040307/us-inaction-would-embolden-iran-nkorea-says-kerry
