President Trump’s current Syria policy is unproductive and contrary to American interests and his own words on the campaign trail, argues James Bovard for USA Today. Under his administration, bombings of Syria have increased, resulting in numerous civilian deaths while provoking Putin and Assad with the downing of a Syrian jet. By stepping up military action, Trump is needlessly making enemies. American policy in the region is so muddled that, at one point, CIA-funded rebels were fighting Pentagon-funded ones. The U.S. has little to gain from the geopolitical mess that rages in Syria and should stay away.

Trump recently succeeded in deterring the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, holds McIntyre of the Washington Examiner. The U.S. had understood that another attack was being planned, likely a similar one to an attack on April 4 that resulted in many civilian deaths. The warning that Trump issued to Assad halted this attack in its tracks, preventing further needless bloodshed. The Syrian government retains chemical weapons and has shown an unwillingness to relinquish them. The U.S. president signaling that further chemical attacks won’t be tolerated is a step in the right direction.