Although horrible things have been happening in the bafflingly complex conflict in Syria, a simple reduction of it in terms of good and evil can lead to even greater confusion. On one level, the American decision to punish President Bashar al-Assad by attacking one of his key airbases with cruise missiles made perfect sense. He was accused of crossing the West’s ultimate red line by using chemical weapons against civilians, in territory controlled by his opponents. The results were horrendous: there had to be some response. Yet the one that came raises serious questions.  

Abandoning his long-stated opposition to America acting as the world’s policeman, President Donald Trump did what his predecessor Barack Obama had failed to do. Assad was already branded as a war criminal, and his supporters, Russia and Iran, were among America’s traditional foes.