Trump's Syria strike sends not-so-subtle warning to US rivals

Washington

PRESIDENT Donald Trump's decision to strike Syria sent a powerful message around the world - one that could be read very differently in Moscow, Pyongyang and Beijing.

For Russia, it may finally put to rest expectations from the 2016 US presidential campaign that Mr Trump will pursue closer ties with President Vladimir Putin, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

For North Korea, it was a warning that the US is willing to act unilaterally.

And for China, whose leader Xi Jinping was dining with Mr Trump right before the missiles took flight, the attack was a potent sign of the new American president's unpredictability.

The US cruise missile strike, in response to a Syrian chemical weapons attack on April 4 that killed more than 70 people, also showed a president who will dramatically shift his policies in response to changing world events. In 2013, Mr Trump slammed his predecessor, Barack Obama, for considering military action against Syria after a poison gas attack killed more than 1,000 peop…