黑料社

President Donald Trump鈥檚 decision to strike the Syrian regime in retaliation for a chemical attack comes four years after his predecessor Barack Obama faced a similar challenge from Damascus 鈥� and chose to back down.

There was no doubt among the international community on August 21, 2013: Obama鈥檚 鈥渞ed line鈥� had just been crossed in Syria with a chemical weapons attack outside Damascus that was almost certainly the work of Bashar al-Assad鈥檚 regime.

Two years earlier, Obama had vowed that the use of such weapons would 鈥渃hange my calculus鈥� to justify military intervention in Syria.

Britain and France agreed, embracing the president鈥檚 rhetoric.

So when the massacre took place in Ghouta, an eastern suburb of the Syrian capital where US intelligence said some 1,400 were killed by a sarin gas attack, all eyes turned toward Washington.

Two days later, Obama said he was ready to strike.

But to surprise in the United States and around the world, he said he would put any decision over military action in Syria to a vote in Congress, essentially ruling out any immediate attack.

Then his ally British Prime Minister David Cameron 鈥� who had also submitted a decision over military action to his country鈥檚 lawmakers 鈥� backed out after parliament voted against taking part.

In the end, Obama鈥檚 White House would never directly intervene militarily against the Assad regime, anxious to maintain the region鈥檚 crumbling geopolitical and military balance.

Washington instead agreed to a last-minute deal with Damascus brokered by Moscow to dismantle Syria鈥檚 chemical weapons arsenal and ship it to Russia starting in October 2013.

Under the aegis of the United Nations Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) 鈥� awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year 鈥� the operation theoretically ended the Syrian government鈥檚 ability to use chemical weapons against its own citizens or anyone else.

鈥楶谤辞耻诲鈥�

Obama鈥檚 controversial decision precipitated an avalanche of criticism in the United States and abroad for his paralysis over Syria.

On Tuesday, following a new suspected chemical weapons attack that killed least 86 Syrian civilians 鈥� including 27 children 鈥� that Washington attributed to Assad鈥檚 regime, Trump said his predecessor bore some responsibility.

鈥淭hese heinous acts are a consequence of the past administration鈥檚 weakness and irresolution,鈥� he said in a statement.

Obama had issued a 鈥渂lank threat,鈥� Trump followed up on Wednesday, which聽鈥渟et us back a long ways.鈥�

This week鈥檚 attack, he said, 鈥渃rosses many, many lines.鈥�

On Thursday, Trump ordered a massive military strike against Syria in retaliation for the attack that Washington said involved a sarin-like nerve agent.

Fifty-nine precision-guided missiles hit Shayrat Airfield in Syria, where the United States believes Tuesday鈥檚 deadly attack was launched, targeting aircraft and runways at the base.

Tough decision

Obama鈥檚 decision not to attack Syria upset Washington鈥檚 allies, including French President Francois Hollande, whose relations with the US leader were permanently damaged.

For his part, Obama said before stepping down in January that he was 鈥減roud鈥� of his decision to refrain from military action in Syria.

鈥淭he perception was that my credibility was at stake, that America鈥檚 credibility was at stake,鈥� he told The Atlantic magazine. 鈥淎nd so for me to press the pause button at that moment, I knew, would cost me politically.鈥�

鈥淭he fact that I was able to pull back from the immediate pressures and think through in my own mind what was in America鈥檚 interest, not only with respect to Syria but also with respect to our democracy, was as tough a decision as I鈥檝e made,鈥� he added.

鈥淚 believe ultimately it was the right decision to make.鈥�

After Tuesday鈥檚 suspected attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun, Trump was standing in Obama鈥檚 shoes from almost four years ago 鈥� and he decided to step in a different direction.