Mission accomplished” was Donald Trump’s terse, if unoriginal, message, after the strikes on Syria last week. But America’s “mission” in Syria is hard to define, let alone deliver.
There are at least five issues that western policymakers have to consider. The first and narrowest is the use of chemical weapons. The second is the fate of Syria itself. The third is the future of the wider Middle East. The fourth is Russia. And the fifth is the US’s standing as the world’s sole superpower.
Officially, the Syrian strikes were only about the first issue — chemical weapons. The narrowness with which the mission was defined is telling. The strikes were intended to send a message of western relevance and resolve, while simultaneously minimising the risk of getting involved in a wider war.