Making The Middle East Safe for Democracy. Again.

Coat of arms of Syria -- the "Hawk of Qureish" with shield of vertical tricolor of the national flag, holding a scroll with the words الجمهورية العربية السورية (Al-Jumhuriyah al-`Arabiyah as-Suriyah "The Syrian Arab Republic"). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A century after the United States entered World War I, a conflict that was notorious for introducing chemical weapons to the battlefield, Syria's leader Basher al-Assad ordered the use of sarin gas on the small village of Khan Sheikhoun, believing that members of the Islamic State have been hiding out among the rebels.  Instead he killed 80 people, mostly civilians.

Like most of the world, President Donald Trump saw footage of the aftermath on TV and reacted in much the same way we would when confronted with images of starving children in Africa or abused animals.  Only instead of writing checks, Trump sent 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles that damaged a Syrian air base.

The world, with the notable exception of Russia, China and Iran, cheered this development because it meant the Assad dictatorship was one step closer to being overthrown.  But the Syrian civil war has been going on for six years with no end in sight.  Millions have fled the half-destroyed country, creating a humanitarian crisis in Europe.  And there are no obvious successors to Assad, who has either killed or jailed his opponents for as long as he's been in power.

This should put to rest the notion that Russia and its president Vladimir Putin, who has supported Assad during the war, are buddy-buddy with Trump.  But what about reports that the Syrians and the Russians were given a heads-up about the bombing before it began?  That sounds mighty suspicious, don't you think?

What this airstrike really does for Trump, besides making him look like a hero, is to provide cover from all the bad publicity he and the Republican party have been getting lately.  Neil Gorsuch is finally sworn in as Supreme Court justice, but only after he got in via the "nuclear option" of GOP senators voting in their man on a majority vote.  Over the ashes of the first attempt to get rid of Obamacare rises a new health care bill that's worse than the first.  And, oh yes, the investigation into whether the Trump team colluded with the Russians to fix the presidential election in their favor continues.

What happens next?  Sanctions?  Further military intervention (as if the U.S. really needs another excuse to get into another Mideast war)?  Maybe Trump should have asked Congress for permission first.  But as we've seen in recent wars, that train's already left the station.  Or how about letting in people from Syria who are not card-carrying members of any terrorist group, instead of treating them like criminals?

Just like those ads on TV begging for your money so the starving children of Africa could have something to eat, or all those abused animals can be better cared for, President Trump's attempt at saving the Syrian people can be seen as emotional blackmail on gullible Americans to keep himself relevant.  What's going to happen if, for some reason, he blunders into another opportunity to make the world safe for democracy?  Then we've learned nothing in a hundred years.