The US strikes against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were not just a change in position from the administration of former President Barack Obama, but also indicate a shift from the Trump administration’s public stance in recent weeks.
Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said that the White House would not try to remove Assad from power.
“Just last week, senior officials were talking about coming to terms with Assad and legitimizing Assad,” said Shadi Hamid, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Middle East Policy. “It is concerning that Trump’s approach to Syria and maybe to foreign policy writ large is completely incoherent.”
“He doesn’t have a strategic vision about foreign policy,” said James Joyner, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.