Syria is about to test Trump’s mettle

Appearing to be deeply touched by news photos of babies who were among the victims in Tuesday’s horrifying chemical-weapon attack in northern Syria, United States President Donald Trump condemned the wilful murder of dozens of civilians. Facing the press alongside visiting King Abdullah of Jordan, he announced that he has a “plan” now that the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria has crossed one too many “red lines” in the sand. 
He hinted that Washington might take unilateral action of some sort, but as to the details of his plan, he offered the American people and the world nothing more. Apart from hawks wishing to see Assad severely punished for this and other transgressions, surely a majority of the world’s people hopes the US does not escalate the six-year-old war further. This is no time for Trump to be reckless in trying to demonstrate how tough a leader he is.
Last week US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley declared that Washington was no longer seeking regime change in Syria, in a remarkable break from the stated policy of the US and its allies. All efforts to bring Assad down had failed because of the extraordinary power play under way among the major global and regional players. 
It now appears that a new phase of the war in Syria is about to begin. If President Trump genuinely wishes to respond effectively to the gas attack, he must find ways to eradicate Assad through cooperation with allies. As matters stand, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only global leader supporting Assad and has helped him consolidate power by seizing control of territory lost to Western-backed rebel forces.
There is a further dilemma in choosing between fighting the Islamic State or refocusing on getting rid of Assad. To counter or defeat the butchers of the IS, America needs help from every nation in the region. No single country, not even the US, can defeat IS fighters since they are entrenched everywhere and in multiple forms. Going after Assad would be the far simpler objective, and the US could act alone in this, as Trump hinted. He would no doubt be encouraged in this venture by the success of his predecessor, Barack Obama, in having American forces alone hunt down Osama bin Laden, a dangerous mission that bore fruit nonetheless. Allowing the Assad regime to continue with its murderous tactics would only make a terrible situation far worse.
Trump, meanwhile, also needs ways to distract his domestic critics from the many controversies dogging his young presidency and his guttering popularity in opinion polls. His administration will soon pass its 100th day with nothing to show in the way of concrete achievements. It’s possible that, if the Syria front proved too contentious or too arduous an undertaking for US forces, Trump might instead take aim at North Korea, where he can act decisively without upsetting Russia or any regional players. Even China is losing patience with the incessant menace posed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, especially in the wake of his half-brother’s recent assassination in Malaysia. Trump is currently meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Florida and they are expected to conceive a joint plan to curb Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions and end its constant provocations.
So far the US has avoided direct involvement in the war in Syria. Its new leader might feel he has to prove he means business, and that could well lead to American combat troops joining the special forces already there. All that is clear for now is that Trump’s leadership is about to be tested as never before.