The Official Website of Reese Erlich

Inside Syria author Reese Erlich Available for Comment on Latest Syrian Crisis

Press Release from Paradigm Books, April 7, 2017

 Peabody Award-winning foreign correspondent and author Reese Erlich said today that, “the Trump missile attack on Syria is an unmitigated disaster. While seemingly dealing a decisive blow against Bashar al-Assad’s use of poison gas, in reality, the attack seriously escalates the war and could spark more military clashes in the region.” 

Destroying one Syrian airbase will not stop attacks on civilians by Assad and Russia. The U.S. currently has over 1,000 troops stationed in Syria, and Trump will have to escalate those numbers and their combat roles in order to fight Assad. Russia has already announced that it will cease exchanging intelligence and air coordinates with the U.S. Trump’s actions increase the possibility of a military clash with Russia, endangering the lives of U.S. soiers and countless civilians.

 In addition, the aggressive attack may embolden Israel to attack Hezbollah, the Lebanese political party and militia. Israel believes Hezbollah is weakened as a result of overextending itself in Syria, and that this may be a good time to launch an attack on Lebanon with U.S. blessings.

 Trump’s attack lacks any basis in international or U.S. law. The UN held no vote and the U.S. Congress has not even debated, let alone voted on, going to war in Syria or Iraq. Unilateral action may appear to show U.S. strength, but in fact, this act of war, over time, will alienate the US from other countries and from the American people.

 The use of chemical gas in the Idlib province was a horrific crime. Those responsible should be held to account under international law. Both rebels and Assad’s forces have used chemical weapons in the past, according to UN investigations. Therefore, international chemical weapons experts must investigate on the ground before who is responsible for the attack can be determined.

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The paperback edition of Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect has been updated with a new epilogue from the author. Inside Syria was originally released in hardcover in 2014 from Prometheus Books, with a foreword by Noam Chomsky.

 Erlich is a full-time freelance journalist and author. He reports regularly for National Public Radio, Foreign Policy, Vice News, and Radio Deutsche Welle, and his articles on the Middle East have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, the Atlantic, Vanity Fair, USA Today, and elsewhere. In 2012, the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California, gave Erlich an Explanatory Journalism Award for his radio documentary titled “Inside the Syrian Uprising.” In 2006 he shared a prestigious Peabody Award. For more information visit ReeseErlich.com.

 Erlich is currently available for comment and interviews. Please contact Erlich directly () or his publicist Cheryl Quimba ([email protected]) with requests.

 

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