MESOPOTAMIA NEWS TOP OF THE AGENDA U.S. to Sanction Russia Over Syria Support

The United States is expected today to announce new sanctions on Russia for its support of the Syrian regime. The measures will target businesses that provide equipment to help the regime develop its chemical weapons arsenal (NYT), U.S. envoy to the United Nations Nikki Haley said.

The move comes after the United States, the United Kingdom, and France carried out air strikes on Syrian sites they allege were used to support President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons program. On Sunday, chemical weapons experts began investigating the site of a suspected chemical attack (Guardian) that prompted the international strikes. The White House said U.S. President Donald J. Trump is seeking to pull U.S. troops from Syria (VOA) as soon as possible.

ANALYSIS

“Although there were certainly policy arguments for and against U.S. intervention in Syria, there was a compelling U.S. national interest in preventing and deterring Syria, as well as other governments, from using chemical weapons against its citizens,” said CFR’s John B. Bellinger III.

“[The strikes] were not intended to unseat the Assad regime or directly protect the Syrian people. Although President Trump expressed his disappointment with Russian and Iranian support for Assad, the strikes took care not to engage them directly,” CFR President Richard N. Haass writes for Axios.

“[The strikes carried] a hidden message to the Russians that despite your existence and massive victories on the ground, we remain part of the game and we will always be part of the political solution,” Nawar Oliver said in an interview with Syria Deeply.