Wunderlich 1 Jacqueline Wunderlich Professor Gonsior WRT 1010, Section 30 22 September 2013 An Inevitable Conclusion First published in the

Detroit Free Press in August 2013, Joel Brinkleys Its Only a Matter of Time Before U.S. Intervenes in Syria provides a crucial new argument to the ongoing debate on whether or not the United States should intervene in Syria. Although the media has been focusing on Syria's heinous human rights violations and evident chemical warfare, Brinkley establishes that the main reason the United States will inevitably intervene in Syria is to prevent al-Qaida from gaining a strategic position in the Middle East. Brinkley argues this point by using direct language, parallelism and rhetorical questions to illustrate his point. There is no room for doubt in Brinkleys view. He begins by reiterating the title and concluding it is inevitable that the United States will intervene in Syria like it or not. By using such direct (and informal) language, the author is able to establish that he is speaking directly to the readers and that they need to pay attention. Additionally, claiming there is little choice and some sort of response is warranted creates a tone of superiority and confidence that Brinkley knows exactly what he is talking about while still speaking in terms simply enough for the average person to understand exactly what is being said. And while Brinkley briefly surmises what the majority of the media have been discussing that the Syrians have crossed President Barack Obamas red line once again with their chemical warfare and terrorism against their own peoplehe is

Wunderlich 2 quick to dismiss this point as the true cause for intervention in Syria. According to Brinkley, the greater problem is al-Qaida. His direct language and the tone set by his language lets Brinkley further his argument by leaving no room for questions. Finally, he concludes with a call to action: The West cant simply stand by and watch. When speaking of intervention in the Middle East, it is easy to remember 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan. Brinkley knows this well and draws upon it to move his point along. He draws parallels between the current government situation in Syria and the regime in Afghanistan: [] The Assad government seems incapable of doing much about it. That shouldnt be surprising. After all, how far has the U.S. military gone in defeating the Taliban, an al-Qaida-like group, after 12 years of warfare in Afghanistan? And as the article progresses, Brinkley reminds us again, this situation is growing to be similar to Afghanistan in 2001, but more serious along with allusions to 9/11 and the dangers of al-Qaida. These parallels and allusions are quick to elicit an emotional response from an American audience, particularly when stated so close to the anniversary of 9/11 itself. Throughout the essay, Brinkley interrogates the reader with questions he already knows the inevitable answer the reader must respond. Can the West allow al-Qaida to establish a major new base of operations, [] only a stones throw from Iran? he questions. Certainly not, Brinkley answers himself. He progresses to discussing how alQaida is attacking the Syrian rebels as well and that any attempt to arm those same rebels will equate to arming al-Qaida. And so he asks: But now, how is the U.S. going to arm these soldiers, knowing that al-Qaida terrorists intend to kill the very same soldiers and seize their weaponry at the first opportunity? While he does not answer this question for

Wunderlich 3 the reader, the inevitable conclusion is that the U.S. cannot simply hand over weapons and expect the rebels to take care of the problem themselves. In order to remove al-Qaida from Syria, Brinkley implies, the U.S. must intervene. His rhetorical questions are phrased in such a way that the reader is forced to consider his perspective and answer in the way he expects. Therefore, the rhetorical questions further lead the readers perspective towards Brinkleys. Though Brinkleys methods of persuasion are each individually impressive, together they are even more effective. His direct language opens a personal dialogue with the reader even as his parallels and allusions appeal to their emotions and cause them to remember 9/11 and the sorrow Americas early encounter with al-Qaida brought. And still, his rhetorical questions nudge and push the reader firmly onto his opinion. Altogether, they persuade the reader both emotionally and logically and allow Brinkley to present what seems to be a very inevitable conclusion- regardless of how the government and citizens feel about entering another war, the U.S. must intervene to prevent leaving the country open to attack by terrorists.

Wunderlich 4 Works Cited Brinkley, Joel. "It's Only a Matter of Time before US Intervenes in Syria." Detroit Free Press. Gannett, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.