The Airstrike on Syria in Context

There has been much hubbub over the Syrian airstrike in response to the chemical attack of April 4 — everything from patriotic fervor to seemingly-genuine terror about World War 3. What happens when we take a step back from the hype and political spin, and look at the strike in the context of geopolitics, international relations, and history?

Xander and Erik go through what happened, how people reacted, and what options Syria, Russia, and the United States have going forward. We examine their capabilities and likely behavior based on geopolitical needs, we look at the political context around the strike, and then we compare this strike to others in the past.

NOTES:

• http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/327972-dem-senator-trumps-syria-policy-hypocritical-and-immoral
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/continued-bombing-by-assad-shows-limits-of-single-us-attack/2017/04/08/1c70cb1a-1c83-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html?utm_term=.3881975a06bc
• http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39541391
• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-airstrikes-syria-assad-infowars-train-fans-polls-numbers-falling-a7671601.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Infinite_Reach
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Odyssey_Dawn
• http://www.newsweek.com/trump-national-security-adviser-us-twin-goals-removing-assad-isis-581335
• http://www.reconsidermedia.com/blog/how-big-is-the-alt-right

• Russia/US still talking: http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-u-s-and-russia-still-talking-in-syria-1491580212-htmlstory.html
• Russia warns of seriousness of strikes: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKBN1782S0
• http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/the-us-warned-the-russians-ahead-of-syria-missile-strikes-official.html
• http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/08/middleeast/syria-strikes-russia-donald-trump/