Ulrichsen: Questions over legality of US strikes in Syria

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, writing on the LSE's USAPP blog, has suggested that navigating the legal territory of attacking Syria could prove tricky for the US:

"More than simply a part of the ‘fog of war,’ the lack of precision over the means, objectives, or even the targets of US and Arab air-strikes in Syria reflects the complicated battle-space in which there is no clear-cut distinction between friend and foe. After having stripped the Assad regime of its international legitimacy, neither the US nor its Arab allies will want to see Damascus benefit from the campaign against radical Islamist groups in eastern Syria. However, it is far from clear that ‘moderate’ elements of the Syrian opposition, such as the Free Syrian Army, possess the unit, resources, or capability to take full advantage of any vacuum in local authority that opens up. Uncertainty over what to do in Syria, both at a strategic and a tactical level, has confined France and Britain to military operations in Iraq, where they are at least working with a recognised government to combat extremist groups within its sovereign territory."