Syria needs a proper plan for the future

For a President elected on a ticket of putting America’s domestic problems first, yesterday’s intervention in the Syrian conflict by United States’ warships was a pretty severe departure from form for Donald Trump.

He took the action after seeing the impact of a chemical weapons attack on civilians in the embattled country and few would criticise him for ordering the missile strikes after the transgression of what has been a well defined red line for American administrations. It puts Mr Trump ahead of President Obama in terms of intervening in Syria as his predecessor pulled back from military strikes on several occasions.

The distressing pictures of children killed and maimed by the attack brought the Syrian issue sharply back into focus this week and the use of Cruise missiles by America on a military air base has reignited the debate about what the rest of the world should be doing in response to acts of appalling barbarity and to stem the loss of life in Syria.

For all his bluff and bluster, this was a show of strength by President Trump and, despite the outrage expressed by Russia, will go some way to reminding both sides in the conflict that America has the power, and now the will it seems, to intervene when necessary.

What is worrying, however, is the lack of proper policies for the Middle East from the Trump administration. The chemical attack warranted a strong response but the situation needs a carefully thought out long-term solution.