As a sombre Trump noted, the world could not let such a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention—not to mention civilized norms—go unpunished. Allies welcomed the move, and it should go some way toward deterring any future use of chemical weapons on the Syrian battlefield. More broadly, the strikes should bolster US credibility in dealing with other threats, including Iran and North Korea. Whatever one thinks of the previous administration’s decision not to bomb Syria after its earlier use of chemical weapons, it was widely read as a sign of weakness. The US reportedly reminded the Chinese on Friday that they would go their own way if China chose not to be more helpful with North Korea.

Source: Mint April 08, 2017 12:56 UTC