One of the most telling artifacts of the Syrian missile attack (as far as I could discern) was that none of the 59, or 60, Tomahawks significantly affected the airport's functional capacity. The runways were conspicuously untouched. The operational control centers remain undamaged. And none of the airport's defensive capabilities appear to have been neutralized − thus exposing our forces to ground fire should a future strike be ordered. 

Don't you think that the Russians noticed? 

The conclusion I drew was that President Trump needed to distract public discussion from his ties to Russia and to boost his growing unpopularity. But, not to worry. You (Russians and Syrians) won't be constrained from anything short of nerve gas attacks. Barrel bomb away! Hit schools and hospitals. Don't worry about a no-fly zone to protect folks and curb the flood of refugees.

Am I wrong? Maybe. But I'm at a loss to otherwise understand how this "one-off" attack (as the administration calls it) does anything either to protect innocent civilians or reduce the capacity of the Russian-Syrian forces from blithely carrying on as before.

Matthew Shulman

Groton