@blatham,
Quote:US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has criticised Russia, saying it had failed to prevent Syria from carrying out a chemical attack on a rebel-held town.
Russia had agreed to ensure Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles were destroyed - and its failure to do this enabled the attack, he said.
The US fired 59 missiles at a Syrian airbase after the alleged attack.
Syria has denied using any chemical agents, and Russia says the US gave no evidence Syria has chemical weapons.
Russia is the Syrian government's main ally, and helped facilitate a 2013 agreement to destroy Syria's chemical arsenal.
The suspected chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday left 89 people dead.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39548388
Tillerson is correct, Russia should have done that, and Russia knows it. Up until this point, Russia has been doing well both militarily and diplomatically, framing the Syrian conflict as one that is exclusively anti IS. Assads use of chemical weapons has completely thrown that into kilter.
And Assad did use chemical weapons, all reliable sources say so, the only people saying otherwise are the Russians, Assad, and weird conspiracy nuts, and the only people who actually believe that crap are the weird conspiracy nuts. As usual they're helping to divert attention from the most likely conspiracy, the one that people have been talking about ever since Trump won the election, Tump and Putin.
For all their protesting this strike suits the Russians. It should help make Assad behave himself, and propagate the Russia under siege myth Putin uses to stay in power. You never want to change leader when there's powerful, hostile forces out there.
It also diverts attention away from allegations of Trump's collusion with Putin. People are already saying this is proof that Trump is not under Putin's influence.
Having said that I do think Trump did the right thing, but he did it for the wrong reason.
