ASSESSMENTS

Assessing the Impact of the U.S.-Led Strike on Syria

Apr 16, 2018 | 17:59 GMT

Syrian soldiers inspect the wreckage of a building on April 14, 2018, after the United States, Britain and France launched strikes against Syrian government targets in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Syrian soldiers inspect the wreckage of a building on April 14, 2018, after the United States, Britain and France launched strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.

(LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • With the latest U.S.-led punitive strike in Syria, the United States has demonstrated its commitment to deterring further chemical weapons attacks.
  • The United States and its allies are constrained in their response in Syria by the presence of Russian forces.
  • The latest punitive strike will likely deter the Syrian government from using nerve agents for a considerable time, but Syrian troops may continue to test those boundaries, especially with chlorine gas.

Now that the United States, the United Kingdom and France have carried out their punitive strike on Syria, it's time to assess the outcome. In response to the Syrian government's most recent use of chemical weapons in the city of Douma on April 7, a barrage of 105 cruise missiles converged on targets at three sites linked to Syria's chemical weapons program. In the aftermath, the United States has sought to highlight how seriously the strike has damaged Syria's chemical weapons program. But the reality is that the strike was very limited in scope: Several chemical weapons sites (and their delivery infrastructure) remained unscathed and, by the United States' own admission, Damascus still has the ability to carry out chemical attacks....

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