A Syrian soldier films the damage of the Syrian Scientific Research Center which was attacked by U.S., British and French military strikes to punish President Bashar Assad for a suspected chemical attack against civilians.
More important, the raid was intended to have a deterrent effect, to convince Syrian decision-makers that it would be unwise to conduct any future such chemical attacks, in which case they would pay an escalating price.
Significantly, the targets were higher up the system - not just aimed at the units that conducted the attacks like in 2017, but at chemical weapons stockpiles, a research, development and testing facility, and a command post.
The implicit message to the Assad regime is that if chemical weapons are used again, the response will involve even more weapons and potentially more countries, and hit targets even higher in the system.
The Damascus regime should reflect on the fundamental disutility of chemical weapons.
So a strong war crimes case can be made, both for the use of the weapons, which is illegal under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and also for the way they are being used, to murder non-combatants.
The strike was a limited response to a specific and illegal chemical attack.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/04/14/syria-donald-trump-attack-war-chemical-weapons-column/517263002/
More important, the raid was intended to have a deterrent effect, to convince Syrian decision-makers that it would be unwise to conduct any future such chemical attacks, in which case they would pay an escalating price.
Significantly, the targets were higher up the system - not just aimed at the units that conducted the attacks like in 2017, but at chemical weapons stockpiles, a research, development and testing facility, and a command post.
The implicit message to the Assad regime is that if chemical weapons are used again, the response will involve even more weapons and potentially more countries, and hit targets even higher in the system.
The Damascus regime should reflect on the fundamental disutility of chemical weapons.
So a strong war crimes case can be made, both for the use of the weapons, which is illegal under the Chemical Weapons Convention, and also for the way they are being used, to murder non-combatants.
The strike was a limited response to a specific and illegal chemical attack.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/04/14/syria-donald-trump-attack-war-chemical-weapons-column/517263002/
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