Fire and futility: Why Trump’s missile strike will achieve nothing

The Syrian president, Bashar al Assad, strolls nonchalantly across the marble floor of his palace in Damascus, gently swinging his briefcase: just another day at the office. This short video – titled ‘Morning of Steadfastness’ – was posted on the Syrian presidency’s Twitter feed hours after the US, Britain and France bombed what they said were ‘chemical weapons sites’ in Syria. President Assad’s lack of concern was justified. The Americans fired around 120 missiles – twice the number of their strike a year ago – in a measured attack perhaps designed not to provoke Moscow. This was not about regime change. The dust has settled, no Russians died, and President Assad can now go back to killing the opposition with shells and bullets – just as long as he doesn’t do it with chlorine or Sarin.

These events were set in motion last Monday, when the rolling news channels were filled with horrifying images from the Syrian town of Douma…Bodies piled up grotesquely in a stairwell, no sign of injuries.