Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was critical of her old boss's Syrian policy, which very well may have led to the recent atrocities. Last Tuesday, chemical attacks killed upwards of 100 Syrians, injuring hundreds more. In 2012, President Obama issued an empty threat to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, warning him that if his regime used chemical weapons on its people, the U.S. would respond aggressively. Well, Assad did cross the "red line" just months later, when his government released sarin gas, killing nearly 1,500 civilians. Despite the carnage, Obama backtracked on his warning.
In the Women of the World summit last week, Clinton regretted the administration's inaction.
“I believe then and I’ve said repeatedly, we should’ve done more at that point,” she said.
Clinton wanted the administration, for instance, to provide more support for protesters in Syria critical of the Assad regime. Furthermore, while she acknowledged that “these are not easy decisions,” the White House should have established a no-fly zone and have been "more willing to confront Assad."
Unlike Obama, President Trump followed through on his threats Friday, launching a major missile strike on the Syrian airfield that is reportedly the source of last week's chemical attack. Clinton approved of Trump's aggressive response, but in nearly the same breath accused him of hypocrisy because of his temporary ban on Syrian refugees.
"I also hope that they will recognize that we cannot in one breath speak of protecting Syrian babies and in the next close American doors to them," she said of the administration.
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Trump's action needs to be followed by "a broader strategy to end Syria's civil war," Clinton said.
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