Better diplomacy could have been employed in this missile strike

Submitted by Solomon2 (United States), Apr 7, 2017 at 15:49

Since we told the Russians anyway, we could have given them a choice: either neutralize the airbase themselves with their troops already on the ground (perhaps under the U.N. flag) or the U.S. would destroy the airbase all by itself.

That would have presented Putin with three uncomfortable choices: increase Russian influence and power by taking over the airbase at the cost of betraying an ally, refusing to do so and thus losing his nationalist credentials, or doing nothing only to have the U.S. claim that it acted after consulting with the Russians, but Russia said it lacked the will or means to fulfill its part of the Syrian chemical disarmament agreement.

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