Obama emphasizes right to strike, but all eyes on diplomatic efforts with Syria

Obama emphasizes right to strike, but all eyes on diplomatic efforts with Syria
Obama emphasizes right to strike, but all eyes on diplomatic efforts with Syria

Obama emphasizes right to strike, but all eyes on diplomatic efforts with Syria

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President Barack Obama took to the airwaves Tuesday night to talk to the American people about Syria. He stressed his right to authorize a military strike and made the case that what happens in Syria affects national security at home. For now, though, the President has tabled a congressional vote on military intervention, looking instead to diplomatic efforts. We analyze the language he used with George Lakoff, professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley. Marc Lynch, director of the Institute for Middle East Studies and the Project on Middle East Political Science at George Washington University and author of ‘The Arab Uprising’ also weighs on what Obama’s current strategy means for Syria and the future of U.S. foreign policy in the region. (Photo: AP Images).