Russia responds to attacks on Syrian WMD with harrumphs

Washington Post:
Russia responds with harsh words but no fire

No Russian air defenses were deployed against the incoming fire of more than 100 missiles, even though thousands of Russian troops are stationed across Syria in support of Bashar al-Assad.
Russia seems upset that its words of denial were not deemed acceptable.  I think one of the mistakes Russia made was not condemning the chlorine gas attack.  That would have given the Russians more credibility.  Their denial in the face of evidence to the contrary made the Russians look complicit.

The harsh words are not going to fix their problem.  They should make clear to Assad that any future use of chemical weapons will be cause for the Russians to reevaluate their situation in Syria.  That would be more likely to get his attention and reduce the likelihood that the there will be future attacks that could spiral out of control.

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