It’s quite possible this attack was intended to be a symbolic shot across the bow. It appears that care was taken to minimize casualties and early warning of the strike was provided.. I will wait for events to play out,
Trump bends the knee to John McCain and the rest of the neocon establishment swap, symbolically letting them know that he now understands how the game is played.
Very disappointing.
I agree, a message to everyone that a new “sheriff is in town” who does not suffer fools. Hopefully Assad adheres to these shots. Also there is a lot geopolitical/economic positioning going on underneath which is concerning. Pray that things will quiet down.
Very Clintonian, eh
No aspirin factories on the target list
Maybe when Assads troops start dragging babies out of incubators...
It’s sad to me that a moderate — Bashar Assad — has resorted to chemical weapons. He had attempted to defend Christians and Jews in his nation.
However ....
If Trump is to have any leverage over North Korea, how can he tolerate WMDs being used on people? To look the other way invites more use of WMDs, a dangerous escalation.
I think this strike solves many problems simultaneously:
1. Closer ties to the Saudis [who want the oil pipeline which Putin opposes]
2. More freedom to disrupt terrorism against Israel.
3. Prestige in the Middle East.
4. Trump no longer branded as a stooge of Russia.
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Long term concern — Putin is promising to send more advanced weaponry to Syria. Trump might either need to head that off or to make some kind of deal. If he successfully heads it off militarily, even more prestige.