Trump must work to forge a long-term plan for Syria

Last week’s Tomahawk mis- sile strikes ordered by President Donald J. Trump on a Syrian air base was a foreign policy game-changer for the new administration.

Throughout his campaign for president last year and since taking office, Trump, a billionaire businessman from New York City, has been unwavering in his “America First” foreign-policy vision.

Indeed, the budget proposal he has sent to Congress reflects his view that the United States can no longer be the policeman of the world or the leading provider of foreign aid.

His message resonated with millions of Americans who share the opinion that the U.S. has sacrificed its well-being in order to burnish its reputation as the world’s sole superpower.

“America First” became more than just a campaign slogan.

But now, with Trump’s unilateral decision to punish Syrian strongman Bashar Assad for last Tuesday’s chemical attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, “America First” has been redefined.

Eighty-seven people were killed, including 31 children.

Trump was deeply affected by the television images of dead babies in their parents’ arms and of little boys and girls gasping for air before succumbing to the poisonous gas that blanketed the area. The gas bombs were dropped from Syrian military planes that took off from the government-controlled Shayrat air base in central Syria.

On Thursday, President Trump ordered the missile strikes on Shayrat to send an unequivocal message to Assad, who has the blood of hundreds of thousands of Syrians on his hands.

But it is doubtful that the perpetrator of evil will be cowed from launching future chemical attacks – so long as he enjoys the unwavering support of Russia.

And that raises an important question: What will Trump do when the next chemical attack claims even more lives of men, women and children?

Four years ago, there was a much more brutal assault on the innocent. More than 1,300 Syrians were killed outside Damascus, prompting then President Barack Obama to declare that the use of such weapons of mass destruction crossed a “red line.”

Pull back

At the time, several American ships in the Mediterranean were poised to launch missiles, only for Obama to abruptly pull back after key U.S. ally Britain and the U.S. Congress balked at his plan.

He opted instead for a Russian-backed scheme that was supposed to lead to the removal and elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile.

It is noteworthy that Trump, who acted unilaterally last week, demanded in tweets that Obama get congressional approval before taking action against the Assad government.

“What will we get for bombing Syria beside more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval,” the real-estate developer tweeted in 2013.

Today, President Trump must answer his own question.

We have long urged the international community not to sit idly by while brutal leaders around the world commit crimes against humanity.

We were adamant that Assad had to pay for the chemical attack in 2013 and said a military response from the U.S. was justified. However, we advised a “surgical strike” targeting the Syrian government’s military installations.

Now that Trump has put down a marker in Syria, America’s allies and enemies will be watching to see how he responds to other such acts of brutality.

Indeed, with “America First” giving way to reality, President Trump needs the best advice he can get on foreign policy matters.

For that, a strong State Department is essential. Unfortunately, a purge by the Trump administration of the top management has left a major void in expertise. The officials had a combined 150 years of institutional experience.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former CEO of ExxonMobil, who like the president has no previous government experience, is undertaking a major realignment of the department. That has caused a great deal of angst among the career employees.

The president and the secretary of state should act quickly to reassure the experts in the department that their advice is needed and will be given serious consideration.

While Trump is receiving high praise from many quarters for acting decisively last week, the future is wrought with danger for the U.S. unless there is a long-term plan that has the backing of Congress.

Short of committing American troops to Syria, how does the U.S. persuade Assad to give up the reins of power? It’s a question with no simple, easy answer.