To those concerned about the Assad regime’s alleged chemical weapons attack and the US response:

1. Assad has used chemical weapons in the past, including Sarin (of which there is documented evidence). He is a monster and has abrogated his right to rule.
2. Assad’s key opponents are, now, largely salafi-jihadists, which is at least as much of a problem, for Syria as well as elsewhere.
3. There was an opportunity when protests first started for Assad to give ground in which case he’d probably be in power but without a major rebellion on his hands. He missed that, showing he is, if nothing else, not an especially smart politician.
4. The overwhelming probability is that the Assad regime used Sarin gas recently against its own ‘citizens’.
5. The US has struck a Syrian target (a country with which it is not at war or protecting itself from) without a UNSC mandate and hence has acted in contravention of international law.
6. The US attack was limited and ‘proportionate’.
7. There is unlikely to be a follow-up attack unless the Assad regime does something really stupid in the next few days, or satellite pictures show the key targets were not hit.
8. Russia (Putin) will be seriously angry. So, I guess helping Trump get that election did not work out as planned, eh?
9. Kim Jong-Un will be re-thinking his own ballistic provocations.
10. Trump will probably win a few points in the polls, from 42 to 44%. Maybe.
11. The UNSC will not do anything, given the veto powers of the US, UK and France.
12. The world is not likely to go to war over this.
13. Bashar al Assad will revert to barrel bombs as, relative to Sarin, a PC way of doing business.
14. Human misery continues as usual.