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'This is a Very Dangerous Situation' : Professor Warns Trump Against Striking Syria

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Watch The Full Interview With Professor Gardner Above

President Trump says the United States military will strike Syria after a chemical weapons attack killed at least 40 people and injured dozens more on Saturday. 

Russia responded to the United State's threats by warning it will  shoot down any missiles fired at Syria. 

Hall Gardner, professor at American University of Paris and author of  World War Trump, told CBN News why this is a "very dangerous situation."

"Everybody's drawing red lines and as soon as one side crosses the red lines, that forces the other side to respond," he said.

However, Gardner doesn't believe strong military action in Syria is the best foreign policy position for the Trump Administration. He warned the president against striking Syria the same way he did after a similar chemical attack occurred last year. 

"Trump himself had opposed the possibility of Obama striking in 2013. Then when he was confronted with similar attacks...he went ahead and struck with 59 cruise missiles," he shared. 

"I'm hopeful if Trump does anything it will be somewhat even more limited than what he did last time, but that doesn't seem to be what's in the works."

Instead, Gardner believes the United Nations should investigate the facts on the ground. There are still questions over who is actually to blame for the chemical attacks within the country and a poorly informed decision could be disastrous. 

"These things really need a U.N. investigation and a force that can move in quickly," he said. "This is very difficult because a lot of these areas are controlled by al-Nusra and radical elements." 

Gardner also warns Trump against siding with Britain and France, because that could force Putin to take even more dramatic action. 

"That's even more dangerous because that implies that Britain, France, and NATO itself is getting involved in this action...This will cause the Russians to create a bigger build up against the alliance," he said. 

"He can't be shown to be weak too often. That's the problem. We're putting Putin on the spot here and it's very difficult to tell how he'll react."
 

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle