Say it quietly, but last week President Trump did exactly the right thing. Whereas in 2013, the world stood by after Bashar al Assad used chemical weapons on his own people, Donald Trump acted quickly and decisively to draw a very clear line in the sand: The use of chemical weapons would not be tolerated.
The US response was entirely proportionate and although Assad’s backers in Moscow and Tehran are now threatening a military response if US activities should escalate, the reality is that Trump’s team have already said that this was a one-off mission solely in response to the use of chemical weapons. For good or bad, our collective response to the chaos in Syria has not changed.
In my view, our strategy in Syria must continue to be centred on Daesh. It is they who are cultivating and exporting the barbarous Islamist ideology that is leading to terror attacks around the world. Defeating them in Iraq and Syria will not necessarily destroy the ideology but it will remove the focal point for the deluded European jihadis who claim to be so inspired by the so called Islamic State. This focus on Raqqa means that Damascus must just be contained for now.
However, that containment is not without a price. Since 2013, with Russian support, Assad has been able to reconsolidate his position and the rebels have been pushed back in many areas. The longer that we remain focussed on defeating Daesh elsewhere in Syria, the more time Assad has to crush the rebellion of those who have – or at least, had – the best chance of removing him.