US policy shift from isolation to intervention

World Today

US foreign policy 2

The decision by the U.S. President to launch Tomahawk missiles at an airstrip controlled by the Syrian military appears to have signaled a shift in U.S. foreign policy.

It appears to be a shift away from the kind of isolationism espoused by Donald Trump during his presidential campaign.

CGTN’s Daniel Ryntjes reports on the policy changes.

Last week, the U.S. launched 59 Tomahawk ship to ground missiles at the Al Shayrat airfield, saying that the base was used by Syrian planes suspected of carrying out a chemical weapons attack.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, has shifted her position on President Assad, saying he should no longer be in power.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the key priority in Syria remains fighting ISIL.

“Once the ISIL threat has been reduced and or eliminated, I think we can turn our attention directly to stabilizing the situation in Syria. We’re hopeful that we can prevent a continuation of the civil war and that we can bring parties to the table to begin the process of political discussions,” Tillerson said.

Tillerson has been meeting G7 leaders in Italy discussing how to put additional pressure on Russia over its support for President Assad ahead of Tillerson’s meetings in Moscow later in the week.

Meanwhile, a naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson has been redirected toward the Western Pacific near the DPRK.

The White House is concerned about Pyongyang’s testing and development of intercontinental ballistic missiles which might be capable of reaching the United States.