A welcome gesture?

The attack by American forces on the Shayrat airbase in Syria on April 7, 2017 was enough to show that our president and our country are aware that a chemical agent was used to kill civilians in Syria. The cruise missiles that targeted some of Assad’s military assets should clearly have demonstrated our disapproval of the use of any chemical or biological means for harming humans. Unfortunately, as a number of analysts have pointed out, the toughest problem is what America should do next.

Many American officials have for years called for removal of Assad from leadership of his country. But taking Assad out of Syria has never been as easy as taking Saddam Hussein out of Iraq. Moreover, the backing Assad has from Russia must give us pause. We do not or should not want a military conflict with Russia. The world will not be better off with a bigger war.

Were there no concern that other countries might become involved with us in a military struggle, the United States could relatively easily decide to break a weaker nation and remove the leaders with whom we disagree. However, the U. S. cannot easily replace foreign governments with those to its liking or—even less likely—with those that are welcomed and supported by their people for the long run. And creating political vacuums is fraught with danger: one of our worst fears is that our enemies will rush into them.

Some critics decried what Rex Tillerson, the American Secretary of State, said about the ultimate outcome of the civil war in Syria:  “I think the status…of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people.” The resolution of the American civil war was largely decided by the American people; the resolution of that conflict did not involve a foreign power installing a government to its liking in our country. Ultimately, to have a lasting peace or any peace at all, the people who are fighting each other have to resolve their differences. Perhaps diplomatic assistance from various countries will help. Those efforts ought to continue. But a terrible possibility remains: that resolution might only occur after all the aggrieved parties are dead.