Over the past two weeks, the situation in Syria took an unforeseen turn when Syrian President, Bashar-al-Assad, launched chemical weapons strikes against his own people in the rebel controlled Idlib Province. As of right now, the death toll exceeds 70 and consists mostly of elderly citizens and children. This war crime has sparked outrage across the globe, and it has been debated why the Syrian leader would make such a move when his forces are closing in on the rebel strongholds. Even the U.S. had turned their attention from the situation since Trump took office. Why execute such a barbaric and controversial strategy? Assad is probably feeling the ramifications of his actions now that the U.S. has reinforced their commitment to removing him from office.
Last Friday, President Trump ordered cruise missile strikes against a Syrian airbase. The strikes were mostly successful as all but one hit their target. One missile failed in flight. This is also an interesting move by the U.S. President. Ever since taking office, he has diverted attention from Syria, in an effort to build upon relations with the Russians, who have supported Assad’s regime from the beginning. Several countries have condemned the U.S. attack as an assault on the sovereignty of a nation, including Russia, China, and Iran. But several more countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Australia, support the president’s actions, stating that the chemical attacks are a war crime that should be dealt with.
Even U.S. citizens have shown overall support for the strikes. Although some officials, including Senator Tim Kaine, question the legality of Trump’s actions saying, “He should not have done this without coming to congress.” Many people think that this marks the beginning of official U.S. involvement in the Syrian Rebellion and not just by means of local proxies. Only time will tell.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/04/syria-chemical-attack-idlib-province http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/07/world/syria-us-strike-world-reaction/ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-launches-missiles-syrian-base-after-chemical-weapons-attack-n743636 http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tim-kaine-trump-has-no-congressional-authorization-for-syria-strike/article/2619644
Feels like some high levels of tension. I'm siding with Tim Kaine though, I hope future decisions are made with the consultation of congress and not just from the Oval Office.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting that Trump has no problem ordering airstrikes but not actually allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S....
ReplyDelete-Karrina J.
It will be interesting to see the implications of his actions. I wonder what the sudden coming to action of Trump, with regards to Syria, was driven by.
ReplyDelete- Allison
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like how Trump said, all throughout his campaign, that he was going to put the United States first, but then he goes and gets involved in another country's quarrels, especially when the opposing side has Russia, China, and Iran on it. I can only imagine how angry this made those three and how they will react to it. Will there more military intervention, resulting in an all-out war, or will this be the United States' one and only instance of military interaction?
ReplyDeleteShould have come to Congress? He is the Commander in Chief...
ReplyDeleteNo matter gray (or black and white) this situation may look in the eyes of our leaders, I am led to believe from precedence that these strikes will treated similarly to drone strikes that were made popular and continued during the Bush and Obama administrations, meaning that nothing will be done to prevent more strikes from happening as long as there are no "boots on the ground" in Syria.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that "Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Australia, support the president’s actions. . ." Three of those countries are regional neighbors to Syria who probably want this conflict over with more than we in America can imagine.
I agree with Davis, I'm worried about the precedent it will set.
ReplyDeleteI am nervous as to what will result from this. The state of world is not in a very positive place. Its up to us right now to be the most positive we can be and send prayers to those in need.
ReplyDeletedropping the MOAB definitely sends a message though
ReplyDelete-Steven Rayburn
It's really hard to maintain neutrality when you're already in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteWere any of the other regimes in the Syrian Civil War consulted before this bombing? Seems it would've been a good idea to ask the Free Syrian Army how the US should handle the situation, if we were going to get involved anyways.
ReplyDeleteOlive McKay