Deescalation.

Editor,

Talking to Congress is a start.

But what is really needed is a broad consultation including all parties affected by this conflict across the region and around the world. That includes Russia, who have been arguing all along for a political solution, and Saudi Arabia and Iran, who seized on instability in Syria to initiate a proxy war on Syrian soil.

States, militias, and international terrorist organizations of every stripe are vying to control whatever area, large or small, they wish to dominate. Further destabilizing this situation, particularly by weakening or toppling Assad, could result in a catastrophic escalation of violence across the region.

Rather than looking for a military means to "punish Assad," the international community, including all of the actors in this conflict, need to be seeking ways to deescalate the violence.

This is why I am so disappointed with Mr. Obama.

That Assad used chemical weapons -- if indeed it was he who did -- does not therefore mean that further violence is warranted. It underscores the fierce urgency of deescalating the violence and forging a political solution to the conflict.

Re: "Obama Will Seek Congressional Vote on Syria" (9/1/2013)