The United States and Russia have squared up again in another theatre of conflict after President Donald Trump appeared to reverse his stand on military interventions abroad and ordered missile strikes on a Syrian airbase on Thursday night in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians by the Moscow-backed regime.
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Both Russia and Syria condemned the attack, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling it "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law", even as world capitals held their collective breath weighing whether this was the start of another period of confrontation and proxy wars between Moscow and Washington.
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However, the strike, involving nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles, focused mainly on airfield, carefully avoiding casualties to Russian personnel embedded in Syria.
Russia was informed of the strike just ahead of its launch, and it appears to have chosen not to impede it.
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Russia warned the United States that the strike "deals a significant blow to its relations with America, which are already in a poor state." It said that it was bolstering Syrian defences and suspending an agreement to minimise the risk of in-flight incidents between US and Russian aircraft operating over Syria, evoking fears that the two militaries could stumble into a direct firefight.
Both Syria and Russia say the Assad regime has no chemical weapons and maintain they may have been used by IS fighters, while insisting that the US action will only help the terror outfit they (Russia and Syria) are fighting.
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But Trump, pointing out that "beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack," and maintaining "No child of God should ever suffer such horror," said it is in the "vital national security interest of the US to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons."
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For the 77-day-old Trump administration, the missile attack was a significant shift in position from its President, who as an aspiring leader and candidate Trump, had repeatedly advised Washington not to get into the Syrian mess.
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"Hillary Clinton wants to start a shooting war in Syria, in conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia that could very well lead to World War III," Trump had warned just days before his election. And earlier: "If the US attacks Syria and hits the wrong targets, killing civilians, there will be worldwide hell to pay.
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Stay away and fix broken US" and "The President must get Congressional approval before attacking Syria-big mistake if he does not!" But on Thursday, Trump attacked without Congressional approval even as Hillary Clinton called for the strikes before it happened, along with a Washington establishment (both Republicans and Democrats) that critics say has never shy of getting into a war.
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The Trump base, which had largely supported his view of not getting into the Syrian situation was unhappy. "Missiles flying. Rubio's happy. McCain ecstatic.
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Hillary's on board. A complete policy change in 48 hrs,'' tweeted Laura Ingraham, the conservative commentator, while Paul Joseph Watson of the rightwing, conspiratorial website Infowars fumed: "Guys, I can't vehemently oppose destabilizing the Syrian government for 6 years and then support it just because Trump did it. Sorry."
But Trump found support from within his own family. "The times we are living in call for difficult decisions ¡ª Proud of my father for refusing to accept these horrendous crimes against humanity," said Trump's daughter Ivanka.