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00:00Well Bashar al Assad is definitely going to look to Russia for cover. They've already launched another airstrike from that same airfield that U.S. forces hit the other day although it was a conventional strike and so presumably will not meet with retaliation. He's going to continue to pound his populace into submission and be the murderous thug that he is. And I think that Moscow is going to try to give him top cover for that . We'll see whether the United States can convince Vladimir Putin to rein him in. Well kind of begs the question about these strikes and just how surgical and how pinprick in effect it was because it hasn't changed anything on the ground. He's still flying as you say conventional weapons out of that very air base let alone dozens I presume across the country. So what is this really done that's material. So that strike was diplomacy in another form. It was a message that said if you use chemical munitions again we're going to hit again. But the next time will be much more a much stronger strike and it'll be much more destabilising to your regime maybe take out more of your air force. So I'm not sure the physical consequences of the strike her as important as the message it sent to the regime. But if he goes ahead as he's done in the past barrel bombing cities shelling hospitals what does that say in a sense about Trump and the Trump doctrine. I mean how fine a line is he drawing here and on what side of that line do you find. Credibility. Well it's it's tough. He's in a tough position. The American people don't want to be involved in a civil war in the Middle East. And so he's got to really walk a fine line between upholding the norms of of international law and getting too involved in a conflict that Americans really want no part of. And it's not just America. Of course we have our NATO allies who also presumably should be doing something about these matters as well. If you were sitting in the Kremlin advising Vladimir Putin what would you say to him. I mean isn't a sense he does he has some strings to pull now. What would maybe be in his interest to see this crisis ratchet up. I don't think it's. Is it in his interest. If I were advising Vladimir Putin I'd say OK advise Assad to continue to attack using chemical or conventional weapons and lay off the chemicals for the foreseeable future. And as far as my relations with Washington I would basically you know they've ratcheted up the rhetoric. I would tone that down and get back to doing business the other players in the region some critical pieces here Iran Saudi Arabia they've been fighting a proxy war. They're doing it in Yemen but they're also doing it in Syria. Do you see any way again for the Trump government to to have some takeaway here from this strike that leads to something more that could lead to some kind of peace settlement peace talks. No fly zones safe path corridors. IS THERE ANYTHING MORE one should hope for. Do you think this is it. Well I think the strategy is evolving . If you listen to what H.R. McMaster said on Fox News Sunday he was very it was very clear that the administration is working its way through a new Syria policy. They're not there yet . They're still basically beholden to the policy that's in place destroy ISIS work towards a diplomatic solution. But I think what you're going to see is this evolve over time. But one thing you will see is much greater pushback against Iran . Everyone in the administration is united that Iran is a threat a strategic competitor in the Middle East and needs and needs to be reined in. As a former combat officer what do you think when the media reacts in a way it does to these types of strikes . You know let's face it there is a certain kind of I don't know what the right adjective Glee fascination. You know we seem to like this stuff. I mean what's your response to somebody who's actually seen combat. Well I've also been a member of the media as well. The media is you know they're going to focus on the news of the day and then when something else breaks. It's like a sixth graders playing soccer you know the whole team will move to the next to the ball wherever the ball is kicked to. You know I don't blame the media. The public is interested in and more recent news and what's what's happening. I think there are members of the media who do more in-depth pieces though and there is a place for IBEX we're getting it. Do you think the interest is proportional to the action. I mean we've had wall to wall coverage now 72 hours plus 52 Tomahawk missile strike . Meanwhile Afghanistan is melting down. Iraq doesn't look too too great in terms of what's happening there was a all the Chinese president didn't get much storage. I mean I guess people have been saying over the last 72 hour let a little bit of this is Wag the Dog Ladies and gentlemen focus on this because things frankly aren't going so great in a variety of other theaters of American engagement. Yeah I don't. I don't think it's that. I'd be astonished if it were. I really do think the president meant when he said that the chemical strike against the civilians had an emotional impact on him. I think it's really beholden on the media though to put this in context a broader context of whereas the strategy. How does this play into the future of the War of the war against ISIS and the and the competition with Russia in the Middle East . And I think we're doing that right now. And I think that's a good thing. Just finally Peter is there a strategy or is there a motion with this president. Right now there is not a strategy . The president's. He's a businessman. He's a dealmaker and he did react emotionally to that one incident. But what he needs to have around him is a group of people. And I think he's got a pretty decent national security team who then create a strategy for him to follow going forward and we'll see if that happens .

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Col. Mansoor Says Trump Reacted Emotionally to Syria

Russia and Iran have threatened to retaliate if the U.S. launches further airstrikes against forces supportive of their ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Retired U.S. Colonel Peter Mansoor appears on Bloomberg North to give his take on the aftermath of America's missile attacks against Syria. (Source: Bloomberg)

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