In an article published on Israel Hayom's Hebrew website, Professor Eitan Gilboa said US President Donald Turmp is changing America's foreign and security policy, especially when it comes to weapons of mass destruction:
Trump said he would not tolerate the use of chemical weapons - and he didn't sit idly by when they were used.
Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama - who made promises and then failed to fulfill them.
Trump has erased Obama's failure, and set a new red line limiting the use of WMDs anywhere in the world.
A few years late, Trump responded to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's decision to cross several red lines. There were warning signs. American UN ambassador Nikki Haley told the UN Security Council that if she did not do so herself, there would be several other nations who would take the responsibility instead. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Russia failed to prevent Syria from using chemical weapons, and there were hints from the White House that Trump was planning military action.
The US attack was smart, fast, logical, and focused. It punished the site where the chemical weapons were launched from. Apparently, it was the result of efficient decision making, and the decision included several high-ranking and experienced generals. Despite the anti-Trump crowd's complaints that Trump acts hastily, this military strike was very well planned and careful.
Trump sent a clear message to the international community in general, and to the Middle East in particular. Unlike Obama, who did not act as a leader of the free world, Trump did right and made order in the international community. Obama left Syria to the dogs, and the Middle East to Russia and Iran. Trump is changing that policy.
It's not yet clear how the attack will affect Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It's clear that Trump isn't Putin's "agent" but it's also clear that Trump wants to reach an agreement with Putin. It could be that they will begin negotiating now. Unlike Obama, who confused friends and enemies, Trump is rebuilding the US' traditional ties and warning its enemies. He is rebuilding America's relationship with Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, and warning Iran and its allies, as well as ISIS.
Trump's attack on Syria is also a warning to other countries who develop WMDs and the means of carrying them. Iran and North Korea are working together to create nuclear weapons and long-range ballisitic missiles. Trump wants to cancel the Iran deal, which he sees as very damaging and dangerous. He's placed new sanctions on people and organizations involved in terror. There's no doubt that he'll examine the Iran deal, and all its subsections, in the greatest detail, and work to prevent Iran's army from entering countries such as Yemen.
Trump's message to Iran and North Korea is a warning. If they continue to develop WMDs and threaten to use them, the US will react in a fashion similar to how they reacted in Syria. It will be limited, but it will be sharp and exact.
Professor Gilboa is an Israeli expert on the United States, the head of the International Communications Center and a senior researcher at Bar Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Research.
This column is translated from an article on Israel Hayom's Hebrew website.