Throughout history, the United States has switched stances on how it should handle foreign policy; wavering between isolationist and internationalist resulting in a U.S. that could not be anymore interventionist as it is today. As a global superpower some may say that it is the U.S.’s duty to protect and defend the rights of people around the globe who may not have the same freedoms we take for granted. However, where do we draw the line in which conflicts to intervene in?

Our military is no doubt one of the reasons why we are such a superpower and the new president is not afraid of using it. Recently, President Trump hastily ordered 59 tomahawk missiles to hit an air base in Syria that housed materials to make chemical weapons. The Syrian bombing was in response to a chemical attack that had innocent children causalities which moved the President so much that he decided military intervention was warranted. However, much is still unknown about who really was responsible for the chemical attacks and many suspect that this could have been a false flag incident designed to draw in the U.S. into conflicts in the Middle East. This event could have a huge impact on global politics since Russia is allies with Syria and if the U.S. is not careful enough more actions like these could result in a World War III or a Cold War II.

Some say that this form of intervention is beneficial not only to the victims of the chemical attacks in Syria but also for the U.S. since it showed that President Trump is not afraid to take action when need be. Another positive form of foreign intervention happened this past week when the U.S. Military dropped a Massive Ordinance Air Blast (MOAB) in a rural are of Afghanistan killing dozens of ISIS members. The MOAB is most powerful nonnuclear bomb to be created and it should be feared since one bomb has the power to obliterate the area of at least five city blocks. The military leaders responsible for planning this attack say that it was a huge success and with this form of technology they believe they can wipe out ISIS sometime in 2017.

“I commend the U.S. military’s use of the MOAB since it was targeted at such an evil organization and will ultimately be beneficial in ending this violent and hateful organization,” freshman Johanna Ramos said.

Although the results of chemical attacks maybe disheartening, it important to consider that attacks like this have been happening throughout this country’s civil war and it is a bit out of character for President Trump act in this manner. Back in 2013, Trump strongly advocated that the US should not intervene in Syria; yet now he is the one pressing the launch button. Also, the use of violence to end violence may not be the best way to resolve these kinds of issues and may only agitate the situation further. Alternatively there may have been other methods to send the message that the U.S. means business and not by impulsively firing missiles.

It is crucial that the U.S. continues to use it’s influence as a global superpower to promote change and protect the rights of people all over the world. However, one must completely understand the dynamics of the situation at hand before hastily intervening which may have severe consequences.