Sen. Tim Kaine talks to Army ROTC cadets about the situation in Syria

Sen. Tim Kaine spoke Thursday to over 20 cadets in Virginia State University's Army ROTC program about a political decision with the potential to impact their futures as servicemen and women.

Kaine discussed his stance on limited military intervention in Syria as a response to chemical weapons attacks. Kaine's visit took place before a Senate debate on the matter which will occur next week.

Kaine voted Saturday in favor of limited military intervention in the country during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting. The resolution authorizing a limited military response passed the committee with a 10-7 vote and will be considered in the full-senate debate.

He said that the intervention is meant to deter further chemical weapons attacks, not as a full-scale action to end the war in Syria.

"The Syrian civil war will only be resolved at a negotiating table but we can send a message," he said.

But the senator told reporters after the event that ending the use of chemical weapons has to happen before a negotiated settlement can be reached between the rebels and the Assad regime.

"Right now if one party has chemical weapons and they use them, that creates such an uneven situation that there's not going to be a negotiation," he said.

He also told reporters that while even limited military involvement could lead to negative consequences, he had confidence in the military's strategy.

Kaine emphasized to cadets the importance of maintaining international opposition to chemical weapons. He cited the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which is an international agreement against chemical warfare that followed World War I.

"If we don't act, we will take a really important principle that's been respected for 95 years and we will suddenly say that this is not important and if we say it's not important; I think we will come to regret it," he said. "It will hurt our allies; it will hurt civilians and it will hurt our servicemen and women I'm convinced, as time goes forward."

But Kaine said that military action should be an international effort, not just an American intervention. He cited President Barack Obama's discussions with G-20 nations to gain support in the effort.

As far as involvement stateside, he stressed the need for the Obama administration and Congress to be on the same page before military action is taken. He applauded the president for seeking congressional approval before intervening in Syria.

"I was very happy and proud of the president because it sets a very important precedent," he said.

Kaine mentioned that the president didn't seek congressional approval for the 2011 intervention in Libya. He also discussed his and Sen. John McCain's joint support for strengthening the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

The resolution is meant to check presidential powers to enter into armed conflicts without Congressional approval. The two senator's proposed reforms are meant to "establish clear lines of what a president and Congress should do," before engaging the U.S. in military actions.

Obama is not the first president to commit troops without congressional approval. In U.S. history, Congress has decided five times if the U.S. will enter conflicts, while presidents have done so at least 125 times.

During his visit, Kaine also took questions from cadets.

Cadet Antonio Pruden asked the senator if he thought that Russia and China would "take offense" if the U.S. took action in Syria.

Both countries have vetoed U.S. efforts to sanction Syria for human rights violations in the civil war. But Kaine said that he expected China and Russia to be more supportive of the sanctions.

"[Wednesday] was the first time Vladimir Putin said that [he's] not completely closed to doing something in the United Nations against Syria," Kaine said.

He pointed out that Russia, which has a naval base in Syria and sells arms to the country, would be motivated to change its tune about sanctions to not be viewed as a "pro chemical weapons nation." He said that China would soon follow for the same reason.

"China has been going along with Russia not because they care about Syria, but they just decided 'we don't want to alienate Russia right now,'" he said. "I think that Aug. 21 [the day of the chemical attacks] changed this. Before Aug. 21, it was just a civil war. Both sides had some problems and Russia could say that the opposition was just as bad."

Cadet Xavier Jones asked if Kaine thought that other nations would use chemical weapons against other nations.

Kaine responded that he was concerned that if there was no action against the Assad regime, it would give Iran "a big green light" to continue its nuclear program. He said that Iran had the potential to destabilize the region not only because of its politics but because other nations in the region would start to acquire nuclear weapons.

"I think the actual reaction that the world takes with respect to these weapons does send a message to other nations about chemical weapons and nuclear weapons," he said. "I want to send the right message, not the wrong message."

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