Dear President Obama,

I want to register my utmost concern regarding the possibility of US surgical strikes against Syria. While the apparent use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime is horrific, I believe that US air strikes would be incredibly destabilizing and dangerous. Air strikes might serve as a deterrent to Iran, but I believe they are more likely to inflame and damage our relationship with Iran and seriously undermine the possibility of a diplomatic solution to their nuclear ambitions - not to mention create a more serious threat for Israel. And although Russia has been a bad actor in supporting the Assad regime and deserves little sympathy, I believe that air strikes will make our already poor relationship with Russia even worse and jeopardize the fragile geopolitics of the Middle East. It is my strong opinion that American military involvement, on the heels of Iraq and Afghanistan, would be one of the most dangerous and risky interventions possible.  I strongly urge you to refrain from military action and instead let diplomacy, sanctions, the UN, and the Arab League provide the consequences and the pressure.

Sincerely - Seth Goodwin