Syria may become the 26th country to be bombed by the United States since the end of World War II. The United States has been the world’s primary intervening force for the last 70 years, and it’s time for the international community to take the reins.

The United States has been engaged in military conflict for 215 of its 237 years as an independent nation. Keeping up tradition is great and all, but when it involves the loss of countless lives and untold fortunes (except for those made by war profiteers like Halliburton and Blackwater) it may be time to consider a new hobby.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama announced to the nation that he was delaying a military strike against Syria in favor of a diplomatic approach.

The chemical attacks President Bashar al-Assad’s carried out on Aug. 21 were atrocious, and the international community agrees. Even Assad’s close ally, Russia, has suggested that he hand over his stockpiles of chemical weapons. Russia seems to offer a more pragmatic approach, taking away the chemical weapons rather than reacting with dropping bombs.

It is important to consider what a military strike against Syria may entail. The United States currently has a significant naval fleet off the coast of Syria armed to the teeth with Tomahawk cruise missiles. Each cruise missile alone costs about $1.41 million, and as President Obama stated Tuesday, “Let me make something clear: The United States military doesn’t do pinpricks.”

In other words, there’s going to be a lot of explosions. It will be like the Fourth of July, only each pretty light could have paid for more than 15 full-priced college degrees.

And who exactly will it be who finds themselves in the middle of one of those big explosions? It is highly unlikely that it will be President Assad or other high-profile individuals responsible for the decision to use chemical weapons. Rather, the victims of this strike will be average Syrian military forces, enlisted to protect their country just as the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces.

When the dust settles and there are a few more desolate ruins in Syria, there will still be a civil war raging in the country. The stated plan is to walk away saying ‘mission accomplished,’ despite a guaranteed continuation of fighting and a continued increase in casualties. Apparently, the appropriate American response in the face of war crimes is to kill more people and blow up some buildings, then call it a day.

The United States needs to move its finger away from the trigger. There are two massive oceans on either side of us, and we are hanging out with Mexico and Canada. No country on Earth seriously threatens the United States military. It is time for us to stop getting involved in conflicts on the other side of the globe.

The United Nations was created for a reason, and, inefficient as it is, it needs to start serving its purpose.

The United States has military personnel stationed in 38 foreign countries and 662 military bases located around the world, according to a report “Base Structure Report, Fiscal 2010 Baseline.” The 2012 military budget was $668 billion. There may be some more constructive uses for that money, than investing it in the capability to destroy.

Syria is just a small chapter in the United States’ long history of foreign intervention. There are enough problems here at home, and it would be a pleasant change of pace to see them receive more attention than yet another foreign conflict.

Jason Roche is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at [email protected].