Syria Latest: Read the Draft Resolution Authorizing Syria Strike

Impact
By Sara Yasin

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has now agreed on a draft resolution authorizing a military strike against Syria. 

The resolution forbids sending troops to the country, and will restrict any military action to 60 days, with the possibility of one 30-day extension.

While Senator John McCain has said that blocking action against Syria "would be catastrophic," he has come out in opposition to the draft resolution "in its current form."

The White House, meanwhile, has expressed confidence that Congress will back plans to attack Syria.

National Security Advisor Susan Rice said yesterday that the Obama adminstration has "no expectation of losing the vote in Congress", according to NBC News.

Top house Republicans John Boehner and Eric Cantor have now announced their support for President Obama's proposal for a limited airstrike on Syria.

According to the Associated Press, the committee could vote on the resolution as early as today.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that while he is not convinced by U.S. evidence tying Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad to the chemical attack on August 21, he has not ruled out supporting a military strike.

"I don't rule this out," the Russian president said in a televised interview with the Associated Press and state-run Russian station First Channel. "But I want to draw your attention to one absolutely principled issue: In accordance with the current international law, a sanction to use arms against a sovereign state can be given only by the U.N. Security Council.”

Putin went on to condemn U.S. support for rebels in Syria, and said that he will continue to supply arms to Assad.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Syria AUMF

Read more:

The Article Syrians Think You Should Read About Syria (Syria Deeply)

The Complete History of Syria in 21 Photos (PolicyMic)

This One Photo Pretty Much Sums Up Obama's Syria Mess (PolicyMic)

US Strike on Syria, an "Uncalculated Adventure": Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad on MSNBC (Jadaliyya)

Most Americans Can't Find Syria On The Map, So What? (Washington Post)

McCain: Blocking Syria Strike Would Be "Catastrophic" (Time)

Syrian Rebels Split On Air Strike (Deutsche Welle)