For those against the attack, what should have been done after the chemical attacks?

[oberliner]

88. Thanks for the response

I appreciate you sharing your insights.

I would point out that the US was neutral in WWII until Germany declared war on us. If Japan had not bombed Pearl Harbor, it is quite likely that the US would have stayed out of that war completely. Certainly Germany's horrific actions against its own Jewish population was not the impetus for US participation by any stretch of the imagination.

In terms of Syria, my view is pretty much in line with Obama's who recognized that there were essentially nothing but bad options and hoped that by bringing the Syrian atrocities to light (via, for instance, testimony at the UN) might shame Russia to withdraw its support for Assad. Unfortunately, Putin does not seem to have been moved by such considerations.

The question, then, remains, are we willing to accept the possibility of war on a potentially massive scale where US forces could conceivably be engaged in active combat with Russian forces over Syria? This could lead to high numbers of American casualties, along with continued Syrian civilian casualties, and an exacerbating refugee crisis (unimaginable as that seems).

Maybe what the Syrian government is doing right now is heinous enough that the answer is yes. But the reality of what such a war might look like is somewhat terrifying.