The Middle East has always been in a state of unrest. With constant fighting, and rapid regime changes it is a place that is still developing and under a lot of pressure.
U.S. Military involvement has been a major factor in the region for many years. We have defended nations, invaded others, and overthrew dictatorships.
Since President Trump took office we have taken even more military action in the region specifically in Syria and Afghanistan.
After reports of Syrian Dictator Bashir Al Assad using chemical weapons against his own people the president ordered a strike on the airfield believed to have been used for the attack.
60 tomahawk missiles were fired on the base destroying much of Syrias air support.
In Afghanistan Trump deployed the largest non-nuclear bomb that the U.S. Has ever used. It is referred to as Massive Air Ordinance Burst (MOAB) or “Mother Of All Bombs”.
Our goal with all of these actions as it has been in the past is too make a statement that we will not back down or stand for the unethical and illegal treatment of any people in any region.
This does not mean that we can protect everyone, but that when a nation turns against its own people we will be there as a beacon of hope.
Many students agree with this view. “We need to try and be a force for good in the world. That does not mean that we need to be everyone’s nanny, trying to right every wrong, but it does mean that we need to be able to stand up for those who otherwise couldn’t. I think what Trumps doing is right,” James Green a student at Florida Southern said.
Other students take a different stance on the action taken in the Middle East.
“We do need to do the right thing, but where is the line drawn? So much of what we are doing in the region is hurting more than it is helping. We need to protect ourselves and protect other people but not at the expense of starting world war 3. There are certain foreign affairs that we should not get involved in,” Ashley Allen a junior at Florida Southern said.
We do need to be careful to not get too involved in other countries affairs especially when that means risking our own safety.
While we do need to look out for others around the world it is not our job to police every country. We need to defend our way of life and protect our people.
Overall this means that often times we may end up in tough situations, but we need to act smart and fight the right battles.
With the new administration we are taking actions that have not been seen since the days of World War 3.
Hopefully that is not the direction we are headed, but only time will tell.