This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In the last century, American military imperialism has destabilized and impoverished over a dozen sovereign nations, including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Vietnam, Cambodia, Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. In each instance, we justified these interventions by claiming we were helping liberate the people, even when this was clearly not true.
In every case, we caused more harm than good, and it is estimated that U.S. interventions abroad are responsible for 20 million deaths since World War II, not including the deaths of American soldiers.
Please learn from the mistakes of our past, and oppose further intervention in Syria. Our bombs will not help the civilians being oppressed by Assad's regime, but our humanitarian aid and asylum could. Represent the values of Americans enshrined on the Statue of Liberty, and demand that the administration rescind its ban on Syrian refugees.
Ryan Hassan
Salt Lake City