Legal Questions Loom Over Syria Strikes, cfr.org

In the wake of recent air strikes on Syria by the United States and its allies, some lawmakers in Washington and other world capitals are questioning the attacks’ legal basis. The Trump administration claims the recent assault was justified, but it has not laid out a rationale based on international law, says CFR’s John Bellinger, legal advisor at the National Security Council and the State Department during the George W. Bush administration. This leaves the United States open to charges of acting lawlessly and inviting similar behavior by other countries, he says. The United Kingdom is the only government that has explicitly said its use of force comports with international law, citing humanitarian grounds. Läs intervju