The West stands up

A barbaric action in Syria is met with united force

The united French, British and American raid on Syrian chemical weapons infrastructure this weekend — bombing and disabling several targets — was a risky but morally and politically necessary action.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was at pains to describe the raid as tactical and limited — a targeted one-off. She was saying to the Russians: We do not want World War III, but are finished enabling you and your puppets. We will not tolerate the gassing of civilians — not by anyone.

Nerve gas has been anathema to the world community since World War I. But for a leader to kill so many of his own people to maintain power by terror takes us back to an even earlier time than that, maybe to Genghis Khan in the 13th century.

But, make no mistake, this was a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

The United States and its two longtime allies redrew the red line that had been obliterated by a failure of nerve by the United States and the West generally: There will be cost for your barbarities.

Will any cost, short of regime change, ever be enough to chasten the monster in Syria, or for that matter, Mr. Putin?

Perhaps not. And regime change might very well lead to a wider war, as indeed even this measured response still might.

So one might argue that the strike, though it risked much, was not enough.

But in the larger sense, the West did what it should have done a long time ago. It stood up for decency and international law. It stood up those who are defenseless. It stood up for itself, and for simple humanity, and redeemed some self respect.

This does not happen often. Too often in American foreign policy we have looked away and turned our heads from slaughter of the innocent.

So we should feel proud as Americans. We did the right thing in Syria, as did our two great, old friends.

Assad is not the first Middle East ruler to use chemical weapons. Saddam Hussein used them on the Kurds, for example, and former Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser used them in the 1960s Yemeni civil war. The ultimate goal of punishing Assad is to deter him and others of his ilk from using them again.

Let’s take a break from the Comey Chronicles to feel proud and send those who protect us — from Secretary of Defense James Mattis, to all the grunts and sailors and airmen in harm’s way, to the national guardsmen and the fresh ROTC cadet — our gratitude and prayers.