Early this morning a brief period of military action took place, commissioned from the safety of three  western democratic national government headquarters designed to try to destroy some of the chemical warfare facilities in Syria. In the case of both the US and the UK this has happened without the support of the Parliamentary structures which are supposed to be part of our democracies, even though they should have been consulted. It was suggested by John Sopel earlier this morning that the reason for the timing of this attack was led by Emmanuel Macron first and Theresa May second. In the case of Theresa May he suggests that had the attack been delayed until after the UK Parliament reconvened, that Theresa May would have needed to obtain support from Parliament for such a decision and it is perfectly clear that this would not have been achieved. It seems probable that her desire to gain International credibility is behind the strategy of sending missiles into Syria, other views question if the impending local elections lie behind the plan.

One of the reasons why this decision would not have carried the support of Parliament is the lack of any sense of strategy being established to bring an end to the long term death and destruction of people in Syria, let alone the other areas of acute warfare across the world. However such strategies demand time and commitment rather than being a quick fix to levels of popular acceptance.

An equally disturbing concern is the statement made by Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations which suggests that the three permanent members of the UN Security Council had failed to communicate with the UN. Perhaps even more concerning is the potential impact on the members of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons who were due to arrive into Syria in the hours after these attacks to begin to assess if chemical weapons had been used a week ago. The prospect of them receiving cooperation must surely be less likely and their own safety must be less certain. The statement by Guterres is:

“I have been following closely the reports of air strikes in Syria conducted by the United States, France and the United Kingdom. There’s an obligation, particularly when dealing with matters of peace and security, to act consistently with the Charter of the United Nations and with international law in general. The UN Charter is very clear on these issues. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. I call on the members of the Security Council to unite and exercise that responsibility. I urge all Member States to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances and to avoid any acts that could escalate the situation and worsen the suffering of the Syrian people.

Any use of chemical weapons is abhorrent. The suffering it causes is horrendous. I have repeatedly expressed my deep disappointment that the Security Council failed to agree on a dedicated mechanism for effective accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. I urge the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and fill this gap. I will continue to engage with Member States to help achieve this objective.”

Meanwhile the self righteous statements by May and Trump include:

DT: “The nations of Britain France and the United States of America have marshalled their righteous power against barbarism and brutality … To Iran and to Russia I ask, what kind of a nation wants to be associated with the mass murder of innocent men, women and children, the nations of the world can be judged by the friends they keep”

TM: “We would have preferred an alternative path, but on this occasion there is none, history teaches us that the international community must defend the global rules and standards that keep us all safe”

Let us hope that the missiles launched by these two national leaders have not killed any innocent people! Degrading democracy is painful enough for those of us in the west, however it is nothing like the death and injury of people in Syria including the members of the OPCW!