Was President Trump's Strike in Syria the Right Move?
On Friday, April 7th off the coast of Syria, two U.S. warships fired around 50 Tomahawk missiles at the Syrian government air force base believed to be the source of the jets that launched a devastating chemical attack the previous Tuesday. President Trump has been quoted as saying that his reason for the attack was the deep anger and horror he felt after seeing the pictures of the "beautiful babies" that had been slain in the dastardly attack by Bashar Al-Assad's military. No one will argue that the chemical attack on the civilians of Khan Sheikhoun was inhumane and a violation of both human rights and the rules of war, but is it the United State's place to now intervene in the Syrian Civil War?
Many will argue that President Obama made the right decision to essentially restrict U.S. involvement in the Syrian conflict to special and black operations, rather than boots on the ground or direct military strikes. Former Secretary of State and 2016 democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton expressed a desire for more direct intervention, specifically the bombing of Al-Assad's airbases, the day of President Trump's strike. With that in mind it seems whomever we elected, intervention was only a question of when. Trump's decision sparked outrage from his far-right base who degraded Clinton's hawkish attitude and supported Trump's Wilson-esque pledge of "America First". But now with the possibility of increased troop deployment and further intervention, we have to question if it's in the country's best interest to become entangled in this quagmire of a conflict.
Personally, I believe the United States has a responsibility to protect and defend all victims of injustice around the world. But in this case we should be using other options such as increased cooperation with the United Nations or Lebanon and Israel to insure the safe movement of non-combatants from war torn areas of Syria. It's tragically ironic that President Trump attempted to completely shut down the refugee program that was saving the lives of these same beautiful Syrian babies. Apparently, it's only when they are systematically slaughtered does he feel sympathy and decide to act with the big stick of American military might. Our refugee program is already incredibly difficult to navigate and is needlessly complicated. I agree with President Trump that we must insure that no foreign agents with intentions to attack our country be overlooked and allowed in by mistake, but I can assure you that they will not be using the refugee program any time soon.
Further, the situation becomes more complicated thanks to our friend Vladimir Putin's already entrenched presence within the Syrian conflict. Putin supports Al-Assad and has fought vigorously to insure he stays in power. Russia has a vested interest in this and will not move aside the moment Trump decides to show up. This type of sabre-rattling between the two nations is something straight out of the Cold War, and if Trump is not careful, can lead to a direct conflict. The Russian response was anything less than pleased with Putin condemning the strike and the movement of a Russian frigate into the area of the Mediterranean where the Tomahawks were launched. This is a standard response, but Trump is anything but standard.
All Americans hope to see an end to this conflict and a continued push for peace in the region. But due to numerous factors, many of our own creation, ISIS, Al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist factions continue to kill and oppress the people of these countries, and totalitarian leaders like Al-Assad are only increasing division and conflict. The modern world we live in is nothing like the early 20th century when American doughboys were able to sail to France and meet up with Allied forces to put an end to the Great War. America must use much more precise and logical tactics to create a world "safe for democracy". It's up to President Trump to tread carefully around this conflict, or we may be seeing a new Operation Iraqi Freedom unfolding right before our eyes.
