Star comment: Has history taught us anything?
Amid all the other things going on in the world, events in Syria may seem like a long way away.
But without wishing to scaremonger there are lessons and warnings from history that British people should be aware of.
Very often down the centuries major conflicts have started over plots of land that the ordinary man on the street would struggle to locate on a map.
Who can forget Adrian Mole's father jumping out of bed when being told Argentina had invaded the Falkland Islands because he thought they were just off the coast of Scotland?
When informed they were actually thousands of miles away he went back to bed and pulled the covers over his head.
That may have been fiction – but the sentiment is very real and, at this current juncture, very apt.
The temptation for many Britons today to see the looming flashpoints between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as a super power squabble is all too tempting.
However, Theresa May has stumbled into this particular foray in foreign policy by cancelling Boris Johnson's planned visit to Russia this week.
While Boris always carries the risk of inflaming situations it would have been wise to maintain diplomatic channels rather than to withdraw them in a gesture to please President Trump.
Another lesson of history is that sycophancy towards the US rarely pays off in Britain's favour.
The special relationship, if truth be told, has only worked in one direction for many years.
It is a mistake for Britain to tie its colours so firmly to America's mast – another lesson that can be learned from history as recently as 2003.
Undoubtedly the situation is Syria is dangerous and complicated with Russia supporting President Assad who in turn is attempting to tackle elements of ISIS while fighting hordes of rebels who oppose his brutal regime.
The danger for Britain is that President Trump's foreign policy is not only untested but it is unknown and likely to be inconsistent with the military having much greater influence in his administration than President Obama's.
We live in an unpredictable world.
What we need now are cool heads and firm diplomacy if this worrying conflict is to avoid escalating further.
President Putin has shown he is not a man to be trifled with and if one thing is certain he will not take US action lying down.
