Over the past few weeks I have been kicking around different views on Syria and where the United States should stand. I've taken into consideration opinions from a few friends, so my opinion has changed, well more like it formed. So, here we go.
The missile strike on Syria was the correct decision. Assad continues to drop Sarin on his own countrymen and he's propped up by Putin and Russia. The strike lets the world know where we stand on leaders killing their own citizens and on nations supporting these leaders. Obama made that red line in Syria, but he didn't do anything about it; he didn't take a firm stance at all.
Assad, like other leaders, saw Obama make his apology tours to apologize for things that happened in the past. Apologizing for things that happened in history shows weakness not strength. Strength is exactly the thing we need to show to every nation. Trump showed strength by striking Syria right in front of Assad and his puppeteer, Putin.
I originally thought that the U.S. stay out of the Middle East, but that was too idealistic of a view. Once we became embroiled in world affairs, which happened decades ago, it was too late to pull back out of world affairs (this includes the Middle East). We, like every other nation, now have to protect our own interests, because no one else will. We need to put America first. It might selfish to some folks, however, we elect people to lead our country and put it first.
Now, we should move forward surgically when dealing with Syria, but maybe regime change isn't a terrible idea. We should make the best strategy possible and then commit to the strategy, unlike some previous administrations (I'm not just talking about Obama, let me just get ahead of it now).
Iran
The Iran nuclear deal needs to be investigated and I'm glad it is being investigated. That deal should have never been signed in the first place. As the saying goes, I don't trust Iran as far as I can throw them. Any nation that supports terrorism as much as they do should not be trusted with nuclear weaponry. They also hate Israel and Israel is really our only true ally in the Middle East.
Secretary of State Tillerson said it best, "An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea — and to take the world along with it."
Let's not forget how this nuclear deal was born. The Obama administration created an "echo chamber" of experts who all agreed on the nuclear deal. There were no dissenting opinions on the matter. I don't really need to say this, but that's not how you make a decision. You need people of different viewpoints involved in a discussion to make an informed decision.
The Iran deal was something the administration promised on the campaign trail, so they pushed it on through to say that they signed a nuclear deal with Iran. Did it matter that Iran supports Hamas? No. Did it matter that they hate Israel? No. The deal was political more than anything.
North Korea
North Korea, oh, North Korea... Where do I begin? Maybe I should start with the most recent American citizen to be arrested in North Korea. The following is from The Christian Post:
Korean-American Tony Kim, who also goes by his Korean name Kim Sang-duk and is in his 50s, was leaving after having spent a month teaching an accounting course at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology.....
We are all well aware of the ICBM tests and the missile truck parades, those communists sure love their parades.Kim is the third known American being held in North Korea. Last year, Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in prison in North Korea after he "confessed" to trying to steal a propaganda banner. South Korean-born Kim Dong Chul, who is believed to have U.S. citizenship, is serving a sentence of 10 years for "espionage."
North Korea also supplies Assad with Sarin and Iran with arms. They profit from the slaughter of innocent people. Kim Jong-Un doesn't care of course, because he's a dictator who does whatever he wants regardless of morality. Dictators are all the same, no matter if they're North Korean or Syrian.
I hope we don't have to come to blows, but if they launch an ICBM with the ability to hit America, then it's go time. China may even put Kim Jong-Un on a shorter leash, who knows. My only point is that the world has had to put up with three generations of Kim's and I think this Kim's time may be coming. He's a threat to global security and he's getting ready for war.
In summary, Syria, Iran, and North Korea are all threats that need to be dealt with in some manner. We shouldn't rush to war, but doing nothing is what our foreign policy has been for the past few years. The world has shaken their heads at us for too long. We need to flex our muscles and show the world that America is a force to be reckoned with.
Teddy Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." We've been speaking softly, now it's time for the stick.
