Syria: to bomb or not to bomb

The midrash tells us that adam was created alone, to teach that whoever kills one soul kills a whole world.
In Syria over past 2 ½ years, Bashar Assad has killed hundreds of thousands of worlds
100,000 dead in the civil war
Aug 21st: 1,400 dead from gas, including 400 children
Do we have a responsibility to respond?

We have a responsibility to speak out against evil when it can be heard
Talmud: Anytime somebody else does evil and I could have stopped them, if I don’t speak out, I’m responsible
Anytime someone insults another, or even speaks lashon hara about a third party, I am obligated to speak out.
Certainly our politicians have spoken out against Assad, and he hasn’t listened
Law of Rodef: Stop the pursuer—when someone is pursuing another person’s life, I have a responsibility to intervene
Also: Torah says do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor
So yes: we have an obligation to stop a killer like Assad
It’s not just our own obligation
What about the UN, Europe? Why should we get involved when they don’t?
Pirke Avot: bemakom she-ein ish, sham tihye ish
If nobody else steps in, don’t blend in with the wall—
Have to stick your neck out,
can’t say, well they’re not doing it, why should I go out on a limb
BUT:
At what point do we say our resources are stretched too thin? Can we afford to be the world’s policeman?
Remember, federal budget is relying heavily on borrowed money—so we are spending money we don’t really have
Law of saving a life: no limit to the expense
Many people now say: halacha didn’t envision a day when we have such unlimited opportunities for saving lives
Can we afford –financially--to stop Assad?
The law of rodef—I do whatever is required to stop the pursuer
Not just a symbolic action
So what would it take to actually stop Assad, and can we afford that?
Will this just drag us into an endless, incredibly costly war like in Iraq & Afghanistan,
or Vietnam which started in 1964 with the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which was supposedly for limited strikes?
Can we actually accomplish the mission and leave?
That is a question for the military experts & politicians
From a jewish ethical perspective: to the extent that we are able to, we have an obligation to act
Especially if nobody else is willing to step up
If financially we can afford to stand up to Assad
Then from a moral perspective we can’t afford not to stand up to him
May we all have the courage to stand up to evil, to inhumanity,
On a global level,
And to any cruelty we witness in our own dealings,