It is possible President Trump was sending a message, but the intended receiver was not necessarily Syria.
“It is possible President Trump was sending a message”
Was the message, Gee that wasn’t so bad?
That is one of the more absurd notions floating around FR.
If staging a kidnapping of your wife so you can prove to her how much you love her makes sense to you, then so will this.
multiple recipients probably
A new sheriff is in town.
It was a political message here at home -- to convince people the he was willing to "do something" in response to a TV propaganda campaign with images of dead people and dying babies all over the TV screens of America.
It was all just theater -- and probably not a bad move if that was the intent (despite my very vocal misgivings here on FR).
That’s my take - Syria wasn’t not his main objective. It was a reset button for the world, and not just a cheap plastic button.
The message to Assad-"Putin can't protect you."
Does the name “Putin” ring a bell?
red
That was my first take. Trump is savvy enough that he knows that getting rid of Assad would be counterproductive to any real (as opposed to fuzzy idealist) interests we have there. Assad's departure would trigger genocide of the large population of vafious minorities in Syria for whom Assad has been the protector being as they are his power base as he is from the Alawite minority. If he is forcibly ousted his replacement will be Sunni or Shia and the minorities are Toast. They include a significant population of Christians.
“It is possible President Trump was sending a message, but the intended receiver was not necessarily Syria.”
In politics, real motives are usually hidden away. Possible messages: “I am not Obama” (to all), “America will once again project its power” (to all), and, of course, “Keep up with the poison gas and things will get rough”.