US, Russia Trade Barbs at Emergency UN Meeting Over Alleged Syria Chemical Attack

Russia Vetoes US Resolution Against Syria

The UN Security Council has led an emergency meeting Monday related to the allegations of a Saturday chemical weapons attack in Syria. The meeting was called at the behest of the US and its allies.

As with most emergency meetings, little of substance was accomplished, and it mostly boiled down to the US and Russia criticizing each other, with Russia noting that there was no evidence the incident even took place. US Ambassador Nikki Haley blamed Russia for the attack, and vowed to respond.

The US was already threatening to respond militarily before the meeting, however. Britain appears to be mostly backing the US, saying they also consider all options on the table, though their ambassador did say it would be nice to have a “proper investigation.” A US resolution against Syria was introduced, but unsurprisingly vetoed by Russia.

Investigations don’t happen in 2018, however, especially when officials are looking at hasty responses to dubious allegations. Much as Britain was quick to push moves against Russia over an alleged Salisbury poisoning, the US seems eager to react long before any evidence can be gathered.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.