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This week, 50 years ago, Martin Luther King delivered his seminal speech at Riverside Church New York, condemning the war in Vietnam. King declared, ‘‘my conscience leaves me no other choice.’’ His argument for opposing the war was economic and moral: the war’s brutal effects on the poor - both American and Vietnamese. And the imperative for the U.S. to take radical measures to halt the war through nonviolent means. King believed peace making should override the call for war. The response to the speech was mostly negative.

His motivation for opposing the war was grounded in his Christian faith. A believer in non-violence, and a ‘realist pacifist,’ King thought that, while it was not always possible to prevent evil doing, nations should repent of their wrong and do their best to serve all of humanity. As one greatly concerned about peace in the world, King thought it his duty as a minister of the gospel to speak out against all forms of aggression.

There are echoes of King’s speech in Donald Trump’s decision today to launch attacks against president Bashar al-Assad of Syria, after the deadly gas attack on innocent civilians this week. Trump also evokes the Christian tradition when declaring that ‘no child of God should suffer such horror,’ and asking God for ‘wisdom’ in the face of the challenges of a troubled world. But there are differences between King’s and Trump’s view of God’s wisdom.

King urged ‘‘a radical revolution of values’’ emphasizing love and justice rather than economic nationalism. While it’s early in Trump’s presidency, and foreign policy is yet to be clearly articulated, it is good see that a military response was not the first response. Other avenues were explored. According to news reports the Americans asked the Russians for weapons inspectors to be given access to the Syrian air base and the logbooks for the bombers that day. Only when the Russians refused were the airstrikes launched.

Events do change our judgements and decisions. The attack in Idlib two days ago was horrific, but so were Assad’s previous chemical attacks. The Trump administration needs to set out what is the basis for long-term policy change. Otherwise this air strike could bring a feeling of short-term satisfaction at the risk of long-term loss. The White House must place this swift reaction in the context of the longer-term goal: the quest for economic justice and global peace. This is surely what Martin Luther King meant by ‘realist pacifism.’

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