Pentagon Prepares To Unveil Syria War Plans As “Broad Coalition” Crumbles

A day after US ambassador to The UN Samantha Powers stated, “we will not do the airstrikes alone if the president decides to do the airstrikes,” and Russia warned, “bombing Syria without the cooperation of Damascus can have destructive practical consequences on the humanitarian situation in Syria,” it appears President Obama’s grand strategy to combat IS via a ‘broad coalition’ of allies is flailing. While the WSJ reports, The Pentagon is preparing war plans in Syria that would include an intensive initial wave of strikes against Islamic State targets, Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier explained today that providing air support or sending ground troops to fight Islamic State is “out of the question for us.” For now, it appears, the only nation involved in the ‘broad coalition’ is France. Why? Because as we said yesterday, this is merely over fears of more BNPs. “A key component of this would be allied participation,” said a U. S. official; does ’1′ ally count?
As The Wall Street Journal reports,
The U. S. is seeking commitments from allies to join in airstrikes on Syria before it launches attacks against Islamic State targets, American officials said, reflecting concerns about acting unilaterally. The administration hopes that one or two allies will join in the initial wave of airstrikes, which could be launched as early as next week, these officials said.
President Barack Obama and other top U. S. officials are attending the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York this month, in part, to try and woo more partners to the U. S.-led coalition.
The Pentagon is preparing war plans in Syria that would include an intensive initial wave of strikes against Islamic State targets.
U. S. officials said adding allies would help spread the burden of the strikes. But far more important is the symbolism a joint strike would have, showing that the U. S. isn’t acting unilaterally but has support from the international community. “A key component of this would be allied participation,” said a U. S. official.

This post was published at Zero Hedge on 09/21/2014.