Gareth Porter provides some history of how Obama got into the regime-change business in Syria. In Porter’s view, Obama resisted meddling up to a point, but then he “placated” the national security state. His “no” to intervention became a limited “yes”. If placation is the reason, why did he give in? Was he weak? Yes, to an extent, he was; but that’s not all that goes on in situations like this. The national security state has ways of cornering a president, and I’m not referring to blackmail and threats of assassination. I’m referring to political pressures that can be applied … Continue reading How the National Security State Corners a President