U.S. bombed Syria in response to the their chemical attacks

DoD News

An F-16C Fighting Falcon flies below a KC-135 Stratotanker, April 15, 2018. U.S. Air Forces in Europe-assigned aircraft conducted refueling support and defensive counter air operations to support combined air and maritime forces in the Mediterranean Sea during U.S. military strikes in Syria. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Emerson Nuñez)

Yesenia Diaz, Staff Writer
May 7, 2018

Many people around the world have shared their opinion of the recent air strikes that the United States launched to Syria. According to Vox, the U.S., British and French forces shot missiles at three chemical weapons facilities in Syria. The reasoning behind the bombings was to retaliate against the chemical attacks that Bashar al-Assad, president of Syria, allegedly ordered, which killed more than 40 women, men and children.

Many fear for what may happen after the bombings launched by the United States, Great Britain and France. While others believe that the bombings had enough justification and reasoning behind them for the presidents of the U.S., Britain, and France to have ordered them.

“I think they were justified because one the [Syrian] government was going against their own people and the use of nuclear and chemical weapons was taken out after World War II to avoid total war so that [Syria’s chemical attacks] went against that,” said Madeline Perez,10.

“I think it was unnecessary I feel like the United States shouldn’t even be anymore involved then they already are. The missile attack was unnecessary I understand why they did it but it was really uncalled for,” said Fanny Yao, 10.

After the air strikes bombed the three sites, it became apparent that none of the strikes had actually destroyed any part of Assad’s regime. According to the Washington Post, supporters of Assad celebrated this news and danced to nationalist music while holding up Iranian, Syrian, and Russian flags.

Previous to the air strikes, President Donald Trump had declined and stated that the U.S. would not become involved with the Syrian civil war and had said that he would send American soldiers back home. He later changed his mind and did not call for the return of the American soldiers that have been fighting in Syria. According to Vox, this decision was due to the persuasion of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to keep U.S. troops in Syria.

After the airstrikes, many political influence doubt that his actions were even legal or if they went by the constitution. According to The Washington Post, even if  the Trump administration claims that Trump’s decision was based off of the 2001 authorization policy made to protect the U.S. of any terrorist groups or any nation being tied to. According to Vox, Bashur al-Assad responded to the bombings by going to Twitter, where he proceeded to post a video of him walking in a building seemingly unphased by the bombings. He has also proceeded to continue his campaign.

After the night of the bombings that were launched to Syria, a ripple of mixed feelings went through the crowds of people who read or saw the twitter post and news stories about the bombings. Many believed that this would be the start of World War III while others expect that nothing big will happen from the bombings, if the right actions are made by all nations that were involved.

“I feel like because people know that alliances and getting other [nations] people involved caused World War I and II, that nations would tell their allies to back off and keep it as a one-on-one conflict,” said Madeline Perez, 10.

Although evidence shows that President Trump’s actions were illegal and unconstitutional, nothing has been done about the air strike. According to the Washington Post, the Pentagon even stated that the strikes were not authorized through the 2001 authorization. This fact has caused one large problem to the Article I of the Constitution that states that the Congress is that only political power allowed to declare war.

 

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