With all the manufactured controversy from the alt-left directed at this president, it’s important to remember the smart decisions this president has made. One particular example is the decision to stay out of Syria. If Iraq taught us anything it is that the Islamic world is not compatible with democracy. Democracy is a Western idea and cannot be imposed from without. It also taught us that in the Middle East unintended consequences might play out, such as the growing influence of Iran growing without the counterbalance of an Suuni dictator like Saddam Hussein. This is of course not to say dictators are good, which they aren’t, but that in the Arab world the alternative can sometimes be far worse. This is why the President is right to stay out of Syria.

Some in the establishment media as well as internationalists in both parties will argue propping up moderate rebels may be a viable option. The problem with that theory is that many of the rebels in Syria have ties to Al Qaeda  and other terrorist linked groups. In addition even if we were to find moderate rebels there is no guarantee they would remain in power and ISIS wouldn’t take over.

Another possible consequence of regime change would be a situation like that seen in Libya. At the behest of internationalists like Hillary Clinton, the United States helped overthrow Qaddafi and in his place came chaos and fertile ground for terrorist groups to gather. An example of this was the Benghazi attack on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. There is no guarantee regime change would not lead to fertile ground for terrorist groups in Syria.

Finally there are no vital national security interest that are served by intervening in Syria. Military action should only be taken to serve the national interest. There are many bad actors fighting in Syria for sure, but it is not in America’s interest to get bogged down in another foreign conflict. While loss of civilian life is tragic there is no guarantee that the United States would be able to put a stop to that and even if we could, it would most certainly cost American lives in the process.

One of the reasons for President Trump being elected was his call to stay away from foreign interventions that do not serve America’s national interests. Nation building here at home rather than in Syria or some other foreign land is an issue which unites many Americans across party lines. Staying out of Syria is wise and keeps America safe it is also a fulfillment of a key campaign promise.