Syria’s Use of Chemical Weapons Must be Stopped

       We have previously warned Syria to stop using chemical weapons on their people, but there have been constant reports of their use, and we’re getting tired of warning them. Our Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, has issued another warning to the Syrian Regime. The United States has acted after a previous chemical attack, so they should be cautious. We are aware that they’ve continued to use chemical weapons during Trump’s administration, but we are trying to find more evidence of its use on the battlegrounds. Our administration has to find a way to exterminate Syria’s use of chemical weapons because it’s inhumane, and the regime broke an agreement created during the Obama Administration. What can the United States do?
        In early April 2017, our government launched missiles towards a Syrian base. It wasn’t just a single missile; it was 59 missiles. First of all, that was an excessive use of our weapons for a single base attack. If our objective was to destroy the base along with weapons, I believe we should’ve attacked more bases and used an even amount of missiles to attack each. Syria has over a dozen bases spread out along their country, so if we attacked every base, we’d get more done. Trust me, I’m not a fan of using missiles to attack foreign nations, but it’d help to exterminate some of their weapons. Our current administration has placed a concern on this issue, and if they want to gain more popularity, they should attack to destroy their power.
        The Obama administration wanted to ensure that the regime wasn’t creating more chemical weapons, so OPCW(Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) were in charge. They visited 21 sites and made sure the weapons were dismantled or destroyed, but they weren’t able to visit two additional sites. They weren’t able to reach two of the sites because it put their lives in danger and they guessed that the weapons were dismantled. There’s no evidence that those chemical weapons were destroyed or anything, so the Syrian regime may have continued their creation. Our Security Council attempted to create a resolution for the joint investigative mechanism, which would investigate Syria’s use of these weapons. We failed to come with a collective agreement, which means we failed to protect Syrian civilians. This administration has to pass a deal for investigating chemical weapon usage and invest a lot of time to ensure that there’s no materials to make them.
         If we want to minimize any casualties, we should turn to the source of the weapons. Who’s giving Syria chemical weapons? Russia, who’s also used chemical weapons to attack Syrian civilians. Although we’ve destroyed most of Syria’s chemical weapons, Russia continues to supply chemical weapons, and we have to negotiate something with them. They continue to lie about their actions and there should be consequences for them too. Although there’s evidence that they meddled in our elections, our administration refused to impose sanctions on Russia. Russia’s current regime can be compared to Stalin’s regime, a regime that continuously broke promises. During the Obama Administration, Russia promised to stop using chemical weapons on foreign nations. Unfortunately, Russia continued to attack Syrians, and they will continue if no one intervenes. Trump should attempt to speak to Putin and al-Assad about this issue and come with a resolution.
         Since he has no trouble threatening Syria, he would warn them and give them potential consequences if they fail their agreement. The agreement should include discontinuing the usage and creation of chemical weapons, banning the use of sarin and chlorine entirely, and stopping the exportation of weapons from Russia to Syria. Also, Russia should remove themselves from the conflict in Syria, and we will deal with problems that arise. If there’s evidence that one of them breaks it, there should be consequences. Trump’s top officials should advise him to impose sanctions on Russia because Russia isn’t and never will be a good friend of ours.
       Bashar al-Assad needs to stop attacking his people and we are one of many powers that can work to stop him. These type of leaders don’t deserve to be in charge of an entire country, and the civilians deserve better. While scrolling on Facebook, I’ve seen dozens of Syrians yelling with excruciating pain, and their suffering brings me to tears. Many Syrians have fled away from this regime but not everyone has the resources to flee. ISIS is no longer the greatest threat in Syria, it’s al-Assad with Russia. It’s time to step up and be tough towards Russia.