Airstrikes on Syria, Trump reveals weakness before North Korea

French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed yesterday that the airstrike on Syria on April 14 "did not solve anything" other than "defending the honor of the international community." Analysts also said that this council-style attack damaged the prestige of the US and President Donald Trump when facing the North Korean leader, according toFox News.

Marc Thiessen, an expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said that the airstrikes by the three countries of the US, UK and France on Syria last weekend were just "a brawny enough not to be laughed at" as they did not hit any Syrian military fighter jets, airports or launch pads. There was no information about deaths at the scene, proving that the Damascus government had enough time to evacuate three targets considered to be chemical weapons storage and production facilities.

Instead of making sanctions effective, the response from the US and its allies has only made Syria, Russia and Iran feel more confident in their own strength. Other global rivals of the US, such as North Korea, may also feel the weakness of Washington that Trump has exposed.

According to Thiessen, North Korea is probably the country that is watching what the US is doing in Syria the most closely. What Pyongyang’s leaders have noticed is that despite his “big” threats, President Trump has ultimately made a very modest strike and tried to stay away from targets associated with the Russians in Syria.

This may have convinced Pyongyang that the Trump administration is easy to bully and risk-averse. Instead of issuing warnings to Russian troops to leave vulnerable bases in Syria and telling them that the US would not be responsible for the lives of those who refused to evacuate, Washington planned to keep missiles from flying into Moscow’s air defense umbrella in Syria to avoid even the slightest risk of a clash.

The White House appears to have caved in after Kremlin officials warned that Russia was ready to shoot down any missiles that threatened its servicemen in Syria. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un knows this all too well.

Mr. Kim may have learned that if Trump did not dare to attack the Syrian airport for fear of a Russian response, the US would certainly not launch a preemptive strike on North Korea's nuclear and missile facilities, because that move would trigger a large-scale artillery retaliation on the South Korean capital.

General Jack Keane, former deputy chief of staff of the US Army, said that by deciding to launch a missile attack on Syria, Mr. Trump unintentionally exposed weakness to North Korea and negatively affected efforts to stop Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

According to Keane, the only way the US can convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons is to convince Kim Jong-un that Trump's threats to use force are credible. But the recent missile strike on Syria, which was considered a "tickle" for the US, only shows that Trump is more threatening than he is doing, and only undermines US credibility.

The President is easily subdued.

The attack on Syria came just days after Trump announced he would withdraw troops from the Middle Eastern country. Observers said the move showed Trump's inconsistency and his tendency to be swayed by his close advisers.

"President Trump is too deferential to the foreign policy team he once called the 'Washington swamp,'" Senator Rand Paul wrote in an op-ed published onCNNto convince Trump to believe in his judgment and not to get further involved in the Syrian crisis.

"We need to rebuild our military, not use it to defend the world or rebuild post-war countries. President Trump knew that when he was running for office. He knew that two weeks ago when he said he wanted to withdraw from Syria. But he took bad advice from the people who created this mess in the first place," Paul said.

US media reported that President Trump wanted to carry out a strong response after Syria was accused of using chemical weapons in the city of Douma on April 7, killing 70 people. However, sources said that Mr. Trump later had to give in to pressure from advisers, aides and senior politicians in Washington to limit the scale of the airstrike.

Congressman Thomas Massie said Trump's senior advisers are trying to counter the president's instincts, according toThe Hill“I think his instincts were and still are right, but he's surrounded by people who are trying to push him against them,” Massie said.

One of the most influential people in limiting the scope of airstrikes in Syria was Defense Secretary James Mattis, who has repeatedly opposed Trump's desire to launch military strikes on North Korea.

Thiessen believes that with Mattis's advice, Trump will have few strong options when he sits down at the negotiating table with Kim Jong-un in the coming months, significantly weakening the US's position in the discussions. "If you can only launch enough blows to avoid being laughed at, you are showing weakness. The weak are always the ones who are easily provoked," the expert commented.