Syria missile attack: Trump's strike is illegal, ineffective and dangerous

This was not an act of self-defence and so Trump needed authorisation from the UNSC to proceed

The horrific images of the people exposed to toxic gas in Khan Sheikhun, Idlib have rightly inspired global revulsion and anger. We should not, however, allow our sympathy for the victims to be hijacked by those who seek to use human suffering for their own craven ends. The airstrikes ordered by the US president, Donald Trump, against Syria will do little to help those suffering. But in reality that wasn’t his aim. This is no more than gesture politics designed to bolster the image of “Brand Trump”.

Determining whether any use of force is legitimate means deciding whether