Trump Orders Strikes on Syria Over Suspected Chemical Weapons Attack.

[elleng]

Source: nyt

President Trump said on Friday he had ordered strikes on Syrian targets, seeking to punish President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack near Damascus that killed more than 40 people.

Mr. Trump said Britain and France had joined the United States in the strikes.

The strikes risked pulling the United States deeper into the complex, multi-sided war in Syria from which Mr. Trump only last week said he wanted to withdraw. They also raised the possibility of confrontation with Russia and Iran, both of which have military forces in Syria to support Mr. Assad.

In choosing to strike, it appeared that Mr. Trump’s desire to punish Mr. Assad for what he called a “barbaric act” — and make good on his tweets promising action this week — outweighed his desire to limit the United States’ military involvement in the conflict, at least in the short term.

The strikes marked the second time that Mr. Trump has attacked Syria to punish the government after it was accused of using chemical weapons. The White House had sought to craft a response that would be more robust than the attack last April, when the United States fired 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian air base that was back in use a day later.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/world/middleeast/trump-strikes-syria-attack.html?

[elmac]

1. we have no idea who used the industrial sized chlorine gas attack

it was a small amount. I can understand tRump doing the tail wagging the dog but why did France and GB fall for it? What did they get in return?

[bucolic_frolic]

4. They have a history with chemical weapons on their continent

Macron has stated humanitarian grounds and WWI with its chemical warfare was fought partially on their soil, Britain is in an uproar over the domestic poisonings and wants to deliver a message to Russia.

[elmac]

9. Germany was the only adult in the room

said they needed proof before a military response.

[Nitram]

18. No, Germany refused to respond to a clear case of another use of chemical weapons by the Syrian

regime. If the International community does not respond to such attacks, they will become a norm. Just as not responding to Trump's lies and crimes would make them a norm.

[elmac]

29. a clear case? do you know this for sure?

just because the con artist and his yes men wall street banksters said so doesn't make it true.

[Nitram]

41. The con artist doesn't play a part in my assessment of truth. I'm basing my conclusions on the World

Health Organization, Human Rights Watch, and other non-governmental sources. More important, however, is the history of chemical weapons use by Assad against those who oppose his regime. Eye-witnesses reported barrels dumped from helicopters. No one except Syrian government and Russian forces are flying helicopters anywhere near Damascus. France and Britain have reached the same conclusions. Just because Trump agrees doesn't make it false...

[sandensea]

11. Exactly.

The UK and France are anxious to depose Assad in order to reclaim, for their oil giants, the oil and gas interests Assad's father nationalized in the early '70s.

Even, apparently, at the cost of creating an extremist-ruled failed state. We have to be careful with what we wish for here.

[Nitram]

20. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's all about oil. Except when a despot kills hundreds of thousands of his own

people to stay in power. Just as that despot uses weapons that have been banned to commit atrocities in his own country. Please stop defending these atrocities by Assad.

[elmac]

30. who's defending Assad?

going to war blind is never a good idea. We did it in Iraq and it cost the lives of 100's of thousands.

[sandensea]

34. Exactly.

We're seeing too much of the kind of attitude that made it easy for Dubya and Cheney to lure us into Iraq - the worst military and foreign policy disaster in American history.

When one hears war drums, one should be the most skeptical - especially with Cheeto in office.

[MarcA]

31. Good Points. The usual power and wealth at any cost

no matter who gets hurt.

[sandensea]

33. That was precisely my point. Thanks.

It is what it is.

[McKim]

17. An Astute Comment

Well said! They were quite quick to join in with the bombing before evidence was gathered. Sounds like “weapons of mass destruction” all over again. Maybe it will come out just why Macron was so eager to help. Remember how Trump visited the French military parade last year and how Trump enjoyed all the military pomp!

[Initech]

2. Good bye humanity, it was nice knowing you!

[Marthe48]

3. If the chemical store is the target

What assurance is there that the innocents will be safe containers are destroyed the and contents mix with bomb material and gets in the air?

He can't even run his own life, how can this go well?

[bitterross]

5. Putie gave him permission to bomb some more empty bulidings

Putin probably gave him the exact coordinates to hit or 45 will be giving them to Putin as soon as he gets them from the generals.

[SCVDem]

6. He could not just outline the problem,

and his solution. He had to bloviate with the FEAR card. Now he is espousing god. FUCK YOU!!

God does not approve of carnage!

Your lawyer is fucked and so are you! This choice should be overridden by the Joint Chiefs!

[Marthe48]

7. The US Congress has abdicated its responsibility

If this is more than 1 bomb attack, Congress needs to ok it. If he doesn't get that permission, even retroactively, trump got more than a military flourish.

[pangaia]

10. Not the US Congress.. republicans in the US Congress.

[Marthe48]

44. I know

I was too angry when I wrote. GOTV!

[McKim]

8. Heartbreaking

Heartbreaking with tears in my eyes. Syria was a wonderful country where people were eating, had health care and infrastructure and cultural treasures. We used the excuse of Syria not being a democracy to encourage rebels. it was a successful second world country before Neocons decided they had to have a pipeline and protect Israel by destroying all this. Now we are at it again. i am sickened. Why don’t we just leave them alone? What is the problem with Russia and Iran having influence there since they are the powers in that region? What is the problem with Russia having a port on the Mediterranean? It’s all about the little people dying and their country destroyed for greed, control and power. My tax dollars at work!

[Nitram]

21. If you loved Syria, then you should be in support of the Syrian people who rose up against a despot

who sent his army to attack peaceful demonstrations in favor of democracy and in support of thousands who had been tortured and detained without trial. What is the problem with Iran and Russia supporting the genocide of those who oppose Assad's rule? Is that really a question?

[xor]

36. Assad has just as much to blame for his country devolving into civil war as anyone else

I would say even more responsibility since he is supposed to be the leader of the country. That being said, I still don't see these strikes as being useful in the long run. Although, if they stay limited to the chemical weapon related facilities, then that's not nearly as bad as of the action that others (not so much DU) have been pushing for.

[TheSmarterDog]

12. Trump Orders Strikes on Syria b/c Mueller is getting too close to his bidness.

[SergeStorms]

13. I'm very surprised.....

Trump could hobble up to the podium, what with those debilitating bone spurs and all.

[edbermac]

14. Right on schedule!

Really, is anyone surprised by this?

[yallerdawg]

15. When all credibility is lost...

nothing - not a thing - can be trusted to be true.

He needs to resign. Period.

[durablend]

16. Operation Look! Over There! right on schedule...

[DeminPennswoods]

19. I couldn't figure out why gas prices were going up

because of all the other stuff surrounding Trump and grifters, but, of course, it's the prospect of more war in the Middle East.

[Nitram]

22. This is not about Trump. it is about the repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians.

I am so glad that at least three countries had the backbone to put a protest on record against these crimes against humanity.

[elleng]

23. so they're saying.

[Nitram]

24. So many of us are saying because that is the truth. That's why France and Britain joined the effort.

Who the fuck is "they"?

[elleng]

25. Those who are speaking is 'they.'

What means 'out is the truth?'

[Nitram]

26. Typo corrected. Thanks for the heads up.

[elleng]

27. Thanks.

I agree 'it is about the repeated use of chemical weapons against civilians.'

[Chemisse]

38. I agree. If it was just the US responding, I'd be suspicious.

But three different nations have done analytical testing on victims and found signs of chemical attack.

[Crowman2009]

35. So we try to save the lives of Syrian civilians by bombing the shit out of them?

Because that has worked so well before!

[EX500rider]

42. I doubt a lot of civilians lived in top secret government facilities and bunkers.

[Chemisse]

39. This is probably a good idea, although Trump will somehow f*** it up.

We can't sit by and watch this atrocity be normalized.

I can see Trump tipping off Russia so they clear out the intended targets though. The generals would do well to keep the details close to the vest.

[Maxheader]

40. yeah, uh

You'll have to do better than that dementia boy if you
want to avoid all the current revelations about how sexually
sick you are. Morally corrupt and lacking in any humanitarian
skills...worthless bastard..

[cstanleytech]

43. You know I wonder if Putin and Trump are trying to play us all both

the Russian people and us with a campaign of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) who's goal is to try and keep us off balance by being unable to predict what insane thing they will do next.

[xor]

45. These strikes could also have a coalescing effect for Assad and the Syrian people

"We're being attacked by the west again... Ignore the fact we've use chemical weapons on our own people! We must unite because America is killing masses of innocent civilians."

I'm still not convinced these will do any good other than be useful for propaganda against the US and our allies. Gives Assad a distraction and some unity points. Gives Russia some more ammo in its propaganda operations.

A quick search of social media already shows the push to make this out as if we're the ones slaughtering massive numbers of civilians through these strikes. The limited surgical strikes in which Russian/Syria were warned about so they could evacuate and clear out any important equipment. Which was the responsible thing to do. It's sad for the innocent victims of the Syrian civil war, but no one actually wants to start WW3 over their deaths.

They get to hyperbolically scream "stop killing our children!" and we get to waste hundreds of millions of dollars on these operations that will have relatively little impact on bringing about peace. Oh, and Russia gets to test out some of its toys against our toys. Plus they can use this to even further exploit the divides in our country.

I don't even know if this is a Putin/Trump co-plan thing. I tend think this is more Putin playing Trump like a fiddle. This might be taking place even if Trump wasn't president. I dunno.