(CNN) -- Fresh accusations that the Assad regime has used
chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war have led many to renew calls for the
world to take stronger actions to stop the growing humanitarian crisis.
But recent polls have shown
Americans are very reluctant to support military interventions in Syria. In a
Huffington Post/YouGov poll, as few as 5% of respondents were willing to commit troops to the
cause.
The Obama administration has been
similarly hesitant to get involved in Syria.
While the administration has made
some efforts to respond to humanitarian crises elsewhere in the world -- the
U.S. joined NATO in its successful mission to assist Libyan rebels, military
advisers have been sent to Uganda to combat the Lord's Resistance Army and to
Jordan to help Syrian rebels -- full-scale military intervention in Syria does
not appear to be on the table.
President Obama's varying view on
humanitarian intervention is in keeping with over 20 years of inconsistent
American policy on the issue.