Why countries choose air strikes as a coercive tool

Carla Martinez-Machain and Susan Hannah Allen
The ruins of a community college after an air strike in Saada, Yemen, last week. Democratic states are not more likely than their autocratic counterparts to employ air-only campaigns, but rich states - and by extension, militarily powerful states - a
The ruins of a community college after an air strike in Saada, Yemen, last week. Democratic states are not more likely than their autocratic counterparts to employ air-only campaigns, but rich states - and by extension, militarily powerful states - are more likely to use air strikes, say the writers. PHOTO: REUTERS
Updated
Apr 16, 2018, 05:43 AM
Published
Apr 16, 2018, 05:00 AM
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Following his April 11 tweet that missiles "will be coming" in Syria, President Donald Trump on Friday night announced US air strikes on multiple sites, including Damascus.

The targeted sites were ones believed to be capable of storing chemical weapons and/or chemical precursors. The strikes were carried out in retaliation for last week's alleged chemical weapons attack by President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 16, 2018, with the headline Why countries choose air strikes as a coercive tool. Subscribe

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