The recent US bombing of Syria following the use of outlawed chemical weapons on innocent civilians deserves praise. The US government however needs to tread carefully to avoid starting another unnecessary war in the Middle East.

Parties broke international agreement

It is without a doubt the parties involved in the Syrian war broke the international agreement on the use of chemical weapons. Even though it has not been verified whether the Syrian regime or the rebel groups deliberately used banned chemical weapons on unarmed civilians. The Russian authorities have been quick to assert that the incident was caused by fumes resulting from a destroyed chemical manufacturing plant.

The US and other parties have downplayed this assertion.

The gruesome images of men, women, and children suffocating to death should be a wake-up call for the international community to unite to end the proliferation of chemical weapons and its use on innocent populations. It is not the first time chemical weapons have been used in Syria. In 2013, dozens of people suffocated to death after a rebel-controlled region was hit by chemical weapons.

US should Work with Assad to end war

The US government should shun blunt accusations on both Russia and the Syria regime and instead seek ways it can work with The Russian government especially in finding an amicable solution to the sickening Syrian conflict.

It’s time the Trump administration realized that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad aught to be part of the solution if sustainable peace is to be guaranteed in the region. Failure to acknowledge Assad as the legitimate leader of Syria will only intensify the conflict and plunge Damascus into greater disaster.

The US should note that the strategic location of Syria will favor Russia should both the US and Russia seek military actions without common agreement.

The Russian federation is also not relenting on its support for President Assad. After the US bombing of an airfield alleged to have been used in a chemical attack, Moscow vowed to revamp the Syrian air force. Russia has further deployed its warships within the same waters used by the US to launch the attack on Syria.

The US and Russia should work together

Having two military giant nations loaded with missiles and even atomic weapons (if need be) within the same location is extremely dangerous. A simple provocation or mistake would simply result in a full fledged battle. This would likely exacerbate the situation in Syria. Considering the fact that both the US and Russia have their own vested interest in the middle East, the UN and the international community should act speedily in finding ways to avoid another bloodshed in the Middle East.

President Trump should tread carefully to avoid the mistakes similar to the ones President George W Bush made before invading Iraq in 2003. As it later turned out Saddam Hussein never had weapons of mass destruction.

This is despite the widely accepted rhetoric that branded Saddam Hussein as the ‘problem’ of the time. Western powers too, including Britain should avoid endorsing any further US-led attacks on other sovereign states without verified intelligence information.