After news that U.S. missile strikes in Syria could come "as early as Thursday," CNBC's Jim Cramer suggested several sectors— agriculture, pharmaceuticals and technology—that could help investors protect their portfolios in the midst geopolitical turmoil.
"The farm business has been terrible and all of these stocks have gotten hit," Cramer said on "Squawk on the Street" on Tuesday. "I like AGCO. ... The best guy in the group is AGCO."
"Monsanto ... This will work even in an environment of Syria," he said, adding that he expects a turn higher in commodities, especially corn, which will help the group. "This may be a go-to sector, despite Syria."
Cramer said that this thesis is also supported by strength from Deere, which is "breaking out." The agricultural sector is "the strongest sector in the market right now," he added.
Aside from agriculture, if Syria or the debt ceiling debate begins to roil markets Cramer suggested earlier in the show going "back to your playbook" looking to the pharmaceutical and tech sectors for safety. Companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer are attractive safe havens, while Yahoo and Microsoft look attractive at certain levels.
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For individual investors, he suggested watching crude oil for a signal of when to rethink investments related to Syria. "If oil goes over $110, I know that we're in a situation that you have to take a little action on, do a little reshuffle," he said.
—By CNBC's Paul Toscano. Follow him on Twitter @ToscanoPaul and get the latest stories from "Squawk on the Street."
