Calls for U.S. military action against Syrian government forces have escalated in recent weeks, as outrage over Russian and Syrian military oppression grows stronger. The increasing violence within Syria has directed the attention of thousands across the globe towards the ferocious outbreak of cruelty caused by Assad’s regime. The horror of the Syrian civil war is bleeding into U.S. politics, and officials are indecisive over how Washington D.C. should respond to the war-torn country.

At the order of President Donald Trump, the U.S. military launched a series of cruise missiles towards a Syrian air base from which a chemical weapons attack was launched a few days earlier. This highly immoral chemical attack that killed and injured dozens of innocent Syrian citizens, including children, was one in strict opposition to a UN agreement declaring the prohibition of the use of chemical weapons. However, Trump’s strikes, which failed to have broad-based popular, Congressional or allied support, were launched regardless of their impact. Before launching the strikes, Trump sent a warning to Russia, who is one of the Syrian regime’s strongest allies, informing them of his impending attack on the Syrian airbase. The Russians then alerted Syria, allowing them to remove all of their weaponry from the base before the attack and prevent harm to their forces. Through his actions, Trump displayed his reckless lack of thought towards handling and understanding foreign affairs, planting the U.S. deeper into the involvement of their civil war.

Though a diplomatic solution would have been a much more thought out and wiser response toward Assad’s chemical war crime,  Trump’s missile strike was arguably an acceptable temporary solution to enforce global deterrence with Assad and his use of chemical weapons.

Our goal should now be to reduce violence, save lives and keep open the possibilities for a political deal between the Syrian Regime, rebel forces, and all other international players involved. Ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Russia, as torturous as negotiations may seem, remain the most peaceful solution. Although Russia has denied it, their reason for intervention with Assad is to protect their interests in Syria, which include preserving assets and asserting a stronghold in the Middle East. Russia has undoubtedly protected Assad in both militaristic opportunities and at the UN.

Our prior interventions in the Middle East have done nothing but put our nation in more danger, and our current intervention in Syria has been, and will be, no different. Because of the other foreign powers currently involved in Syria, taking decisive action there is nearly impossible. No region, country or person wants to see innocent people suffer, but none of us  want a World War III either. It is imperative we understand our boundaries, and crucial we take careful, thought-out action against our enemies.