US should respect sovereignty of others

US President Barack Obama likes to talk about international laws and respect for other nations' sovereignty, but he himself violated it blatantly on Tuesday when he ordered airstrikes in Syria.

The fact that the airstrikes were not invited or approved by the Syrian government or endorsed by the United Nations Security Council proved that there is no legal basis for the US military actions.

Eleven years ago, before then-president George W. Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq, he at least sent his secretary of state Colin Powell to lobby the United Nations first, albeit with false evidence in his hand.