US-led sanctions against the Assad government have led to widespread suffering by the civilian population, in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
Obama has resisted pressure for a no-fly-zone in Syria " including pressure from Hillary Clinton, who admitted during the election it "would kill a lot of Syrians." Since the U.S. and Russia are involved in a proxy war in Syria, with Russia backing Assad and the U.S. backing the rebels, a no-fly-zone would result in a shoot-down of Russian planes, leading to a wider and more dangerous conflict. It would "require war with Syria and Russia," Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in September.
Iran, Russia and Turkey, which have their own ulterior motives in the conflict, issued a joint statement on December 20, expressing their "full respect for sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic," stating "there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict," calling for an expanded ceasefire and recognizing the essential role of the UN to help resolve the crisis. They reiterated their "determination to fight jointly against ISIL/DAESH and Al-Nusra and to separate from them armed opposition groups."
Yemen
The United States has supported the Saudi coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015. This conflict is part of a regional power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are bombing Yemen in order to defeat the Houthis, a Muslim minority who have been resisting government repression for the past several years. Iran has been accused of supporting the Houthis, although Iran denies this. Yemen is strategically located on a narrow waterway that links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. Much of the world's oil passes through this waterway.
The UN High Commissioner on Human Rights accused the coalition of violating international humanitarian law by attacking civilians, medical personnel and the wounded. The UN recommended that the coalition stop using the "double-tap" in Yemen, in which a second strike targets those trying to rescue any survivors from the first strike, as well as funeral mourners. Double-taps are also used by the Obama administration in its drone strikes in several countries.
In August, the U.S. State Department announced it had approved a $1.15 billion agreement to send military weapons and equipment to Saudi Arabia. The United States has shipped more than $20 billion in weapons to the Saudis since March 2015.
"If you talk to Yemeni Americans, they will tell you in Yemen this isn't a Saudi bombing campaign, it's a U.S. bombing campaign," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in June, adding, "Every single civilian death inside Yemen is attributable to the United States."
Libya
Obama told Fox News "the worst mistake" of his presidency was not planning for the aftermath of the U.S. 2011 regime change in Libya, although he stubbornly maintained that ousting President Muammar Gaddafi was "the right thing to do." The U.S. regime change created a vacuum, leading to the rise of ISIS.
The United States continued to strike targets in Libya, now focusing on ISIS, with drones and attack jets. U.S. Special Operations forces provided ground support to forces battling ISIS.
Attacks on territory controlled by ISIS "simply does not destroy ISIS," Phyllis Bennis said, discussing the August U.S. airstrikes in Libya on Democracy Now! "You can't destroy terrorism that way ... you're playing a kind of global whack-a-mole, where you stamp out ISIS in one place, and it pops up somewhere else.... There is no military response to terrorism."
Iraq
Four U.S. presidents " George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama " have bombed Iraq almost continuously for more than 25 years.
In October, U.S.-led airstrikes struck Mosul, which ISIS had occupied, at the rate of one bomb every eight minutes, according to Col. Daniel Manning, deputy director of the Combined Air Operations Center.
Nearly 1,000 civilians were killed by ISIS and Iraqi and US-led coalition forces. ISIS left behind dangerous explosive munitions when it fled the city.
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