Donald Trump faces yet another test this week. His administration must provide Congress with a detailed strategy for defeating ISIS and dealing with the Syrian civil war in order for his latest government spending plan to be approved. Ironically, this comes on the heels of the massive cruise missile attack the United States launched against Assad’s forces last month, an attack which dealt precious little damage to the Assad regime and left Russia entirely unscathed.
Trump staunchly supported the restraint of the Obama administration in Syria regarding military action, yet his previous attack on Syrian forces has been applauded by people on both sides of the political aisle. But one attack does not constitute a strategy, especially when said attack accomplishes essentially nothing in terms of pursuing a larger objective. Furthermore, this does nothing to save the millions of Syrian citizens, including children, from conventional attacks such as the use of barrel bombs. As for ISIS, though Trump has taken a hard line against the group (as he should), simply throwing military might into the mix isn’t a recipe for success. The current state of affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt.
If the cruise missile attack was simply a one-and-done occurrence, nothing will change. But if not, what’s next for us? If this attack was part of a sea change in U.S. strategy, we find ourselves on the slippery slope of military involvement or once again a powerless bystander. Trump needs to get this right. For the sake of everyone involved, something needs to change.