Assad is a brutal despot, but overthrowing him shouldn't be part of America's mission right now - L

[TomSea]

LA Times Editorial Board

Assad is a brutal despot, but overthrowing him shouldn't be part of America's mission right now
By The Times Editorial Board
Apr 10, 2018 | 3:00 AM

President Trump on Monday indicated that he will decide soon whether the United States would respond to the Syrian government's suspected use of chemical weapons against its own people. Trump rightly described as "atrocious" Saturday night's apparent poison gas attack on a Damascus suburb in which dozens of people died. He even made a rare criticism of Russia's president, saying Vladimir Putin may bear responsibility for the actions of his ally and client Syrian President Bashar Assad.

But even if Trump launches a military strike — as he did a year ago in similar circumstances — the objective should be to punish Assad for violating an international norm, not to oust him from power. Nor does the chemical attack argue for (or against) the continued presence of 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria. Those forces were sent to Syria to combat the unique threat posed by Islamic State, not to overthrow Assad.

Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-syria-20180410-story.html

"... the objective should be to punish Assad for violating an international norm, not to oust him from power."