May’s strategy over Syria war

Trump tweets undermine PM

THERE IS a growing sense that Britain will be involved in military action against Syria after the appalling Assad regime’s reported use of chemical weapons against its own people – these are war crimes that have been escalating in their severity ever since Barack Obama failed to enforce his threats when his ‘red lines’ were breached.

Yet, while there will be great unease at this country becoming further embroiled in another Middle East conflict so soon after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the possibility of the Armed Forces being deployed before a Parliamentary vote, Theresa May will not take any such decision lightly.

It’s why she convened a special meeting of the Cabinet. She knew she required the endorsement of her top team and, specifically, the likes of Brexit Secretary David Davis who voted against the involvement of UK forces in 2013 because David Cameron had not provided sufficient intelligence to justify their deployment.

However Mr Davis’s concern five years ago about the absence of a proper plan was further reflected in the speech given by Penny Mordaunt, the dynamic new International Development Secretary, about Global Britain and the inter-related importance of defence, diplomacy and development of aid policy.

This is certainly far more responsible than President Donald Trump’s Twitter tirades that will only make it harder for America to forge a global alliance committed to attempting to neutralise the threat posed by Assad’s tyranny. Every tweet risks splitting governments, and public opinion, in the West when he – as the leader of the United States – should be demonstrating the statesmanship expected of his office. And it certainly makes Mrs May’s job even harder convincing her Cabinet, her country and her party that military action is, in fact, in the best interests of Britain – and the Middle East’s future.