As the crisis in Syria enters its third year and the death toll exceeds 70,000, America's values and interests are increasingly at risk as others fill the void left by our inaction. I saw this firsthand during a recent trip to the Middle East during which I met with Jordanians, Syrians and Israelis concerned about the fallout of a brutal civil war. In Jordan, the government and international aid agencies are scrambling to deal with more than 400,000 refugees fleeing the fighting, many of whom are women and children. Meanwhile, our allies in Israel are increasingly concerned about the nightmare scenario of chemical and advanced anti-aircraft weapons falling into the hands of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah or Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda.
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Marco Rubio: U.S. must step in with more assistance or other actors will fill void
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He says Obama's slowness to act to end bloodshed risks increasing instability in region
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He says U.S. should help moderates get ammunition and training to oust al-Assad
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Rubio: U.S. should back opposition; the Syrian people will remember U.S. help
America must not turn its back on the @placeholder people.