U.S. airstrikes could prolong war in Syria

Some experts don’t expect attacks, sanctions on Russia to end fighting

The military strike in Syria that drew a gleeful “Mission Accomplished” from President Trump on Twitter is not exacting the same elation from some Middle East experts who see a long, hard climb to peace in the war-weary Muslim nation.

The strike on President Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons facilities was the price Syria paid for using chemical weapons on its citizens. Now Russia will pay an economic price for backing Assad in the form of more economic sanctions, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Sunday.

Charles Glass, author of Syria Burning, says there is a good chance bombings will extend the war. And he doubts that sanctions against Russia will move the needle.

“More bombings and the continued presence of 2,000 U.S. troops in northeast Syria ... would undoubtedly prolong the war and the suffering of Syria’s people,” Glass told USA TODAY. “Better than a military strike would be serious discussions between the U.S. and Russia on ending the conflict.”

James Piazza, a Penn State professor and Middle East expert, said he suspects the missile attacks will have a “negligible” effect on Syria’s chemical weapons abilities.

“The last time the United States launched a missile attack against the Shayrat airfields (in April 2017), it really did not put a dent into Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal or air forces,” he said. Piazza foresees limited sanctions on Russia, and he said Assad is unlikely to change his behavior with pressure from President Vladimir Putin.

Haley said on CBS’ Face the Nation that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will announce details of the sanctions Monday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Sunday that the sanctions are being imposed “without any link to any realities.” Trump also announced sanctions against Russia in August, accusing Putin’s government of tampering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

“Now they punish us for the mere fact of being in the global arena,” Zakharova said.