Invoking the work of President George H.W. Bushs 1991 Gulf War alliance, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Miami, called on the United States to create a coalition of the willing to tackle Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In an interview with BuzzFeed on Thursday, Rubio pointed to the need to head an international coalition to take on the Assad regime that has been brutally cracking down against rebel elements.
"The world has benefited greatly from America's power since the end of the Second World War," Rubio told BuzzFeed while in New York preparing to address the Council On Foreign Relations on his internationalist vision for American foreign policy.
"When America doesn't lead, what ensues is chaos -- which is what you have now in Syria."
U.N. reports claim that 108 Syrian civilians were killed in a recent government crackdown.
Rubio, whose name continues to float at the top of the speculation list of potential running mates for Mitt Romney, continues to build on his international outlook.
Romney clinched the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a win in the Texas primary.
A member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the speech comes following Rubio's trip to the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, touring the base and meeting with the commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay in order to better understand U.S. detention operations.
As for the coalition, Rubio isnt proposing direct military intervention, but instead enlisting allies in the region, such as Turkey, to arm and train the Syrian rebels.
"We need to help the rebels organize themselves," Rubio told Buzzfeed.
"I don't think the U.S. is ever going to have to arm them," he said. "I think there are plenty of other nations willing to train and arm them."
The position does put him at some odds with Romney, who has called for a shipment of arms to the Syrian rebels.
The White House, which has increased sanctions against Assad, has remained focused on international response headed by the U.N.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
