The head of the Libertarian National Committee on Friday condemned the Trump administration’s missile strike in Syria, saying history shows that time and again the United States has failed when it tries to be the world’s policeman and that it is “uncertain” who carried out the chemical attack that spurred the president to retaliate.
Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the group, called for an end to interventionist foreign policy, warning “there is no clear, straight-forward path to peace” and advising President Trump to focus more of his energy on helping Syrian refugees that are seeking to enter the United States.
“Since World War II, American foreign policy has been highly interventionist,” Mr. Sarwark said in an email blast. “This has dragged our country into many wars and conflicts that were not in the best interest of the American people.”
“These wars and conflicts have cost many thousands of lives and billions of dollars and have not made the American people any safer,” he said. “Our military is very powerful but these issues are too complex to be solved by military might.”
Mr. Trump’s decision to target an airbase in Syria has received positive reviews from members of both parties, though some lawmakers have said Mr. Trump has made a mistake and overstepped his constitutional authority by ordering the attack.
Mr. Sarwack said the nation’s push to end terrorism in the Middle East has often backfired and become a recruiting tool for terrorist organizations. He said he is concerned that the missile strike in Syria could lead to a proxy war with Russian and worried that Mr. Trump might have acted prematurely.
“The use of chemical agents against civilians is abhorrent but, according to news reports, the cause of that chemical release is uncertain,” Mr. Sarwark said. “It is believable that the Assad regime could have purposefully caused it but when war and peace are at stake, as they are now, we must not jump to conclusions, no matter how natural they may seem.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.