Skip to main content

Joel Rosenberg: Syria is Trump vs. Putin

Share This article

Author and Middle East expert Joel Rosenberg says Syrian President Assad's chemical weapons attack against his own people and President Trump's response is a test between the new U.S. president and Russia's leader.

Rosenberg told CBN News, "It's not just about Syria. This is a test between the United States and Russia over who is the dominant power, the guiding power in the Middle East today."

The author of the new political thriller, "Without Warning" says President Trump's response was the correct course of action.

"These are war crimes and the president had to move. He has to reassert American leadership. We are the only superpower on the planet and we have not acted like that in the last eight years—we have almost no credibility in the Middle East and that's why Russia, Iran, Assad, ISIS all feel like they can act with impunity."

Rosenberg said Vladimir Putin did not keep his word and was not serious when he assured President Obama that he would get Syrian President Assad to remove all his chemical weapons stockpile from the country.

"That was a complete lie," Rosenberg insists.

The best-selling author says President Trump's retaliatory military strike sends a message not just to Assad, but to Vladimir Putin.

"…We are the world's superpower and there is a new sheriff in town. I think there is a sense among Israeli leaders and among Sunni Arab leaders that the tide is turning, that the United States is back."

Share This article

About The Author

Gary Lane
Gary
Lane

Mr. Lane currently serves as International News Director and Senior International Correspondent for CBN News. He has traveled to more than 120 countries—many of them restricted nations or areas hostile to Christianity and other minority faiths where he has interviewed persecution victims and has provided video reports and analysis for CBN News. Also, he has provided written stories and has served as a consultant for the Voice of the Martyrs. Gary joined The Christian Broadcasting Network in 1984 as the first full-time Middle East Correspondent for CBN News. Based in Jerusalem, Gary produced