US troops withdrawal from Syria

[Siyatanush]

Is it the right step to withdraw the troops from Syria? Or it will give new impetus to the ISIS?

[iNow]

DThey’re not mutually exclusive. 

It was the right move IMO to remove US troops from Syria. It was very poorly handled, though. So poorly that not even troop leaders knew it was about to happen.

I can agree with the outcome and stil criticize the process. Having our military leadership and allies all find out at the same time as the rest of the world via tweet is clearly not ideal.

I can also acknowledge that US withdrawal puts an enormous burden on Turkey (who’s already been hugely burdened by this mess). It also risks the territorial control of the Kurdish fighters, adding for them another burden that is likely to further empower the ideological idiots of ISIS and also self-interested short-term thinkers of Russia in the region. 

Edited December 21, 2018 by iNow

[MigL]

I don't think it gives the impetus to ISIS, rather to the Russians, to cement their control of the area.

I wouldn't put it past V Putin to have suggested the move to D Trump as a means to deflect attention from his mounting domestic problems.

[swansont]

16 hours ago, iNow said:

DThey’re not mutually exclusive. 

It was the right move IMO to remove US troops from Syria. It was very poorly handled, though. So poorly that not even troop leaders knew it was about to happen.

I can agree with the outcome and stil criticize the process. Having our military leadership and allies all find out at the same time as the rest of the world via tweet is clearly not ideal.

I can also acknowledge that US withdrawal puts an enormous burden on Turkey (who’s already been hugely burdened by this mess). It also risks the territorial control of the Kurdish fighters, adding for them another burden that is likely to further empower the ideological idiots of ISIS and also self-interested short-term thinkers of Russia in the region. 

Erogan apparently told Trump to withdraw the troops, as he wants to go after the Kurds in the region.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/21/james-mattis-resignation-trump-erdogan-phone-call

[iNow]

At some point our representatives need to step up and stop this. From your article:

“As soon as the US folds its tent and leaves, Turkey will immediately begin an air bombardment followed by a ground attack by the [Ankara-backed] Free Syrian army. Thousands will die, thousands will be displaced and will be given no haven within Syria. They will be turned away at the Turkish border.”

Edited December 22, 2018 by iNow

[Ten oz]

A lot of different countries have skin in game. Obviously Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are directly involved but EU members are as well. The Syrian refugee crisis have significantly impacted Italy, France, England, and Germany. Unilateral withdraw is a mistake. Beyond what it may or may not do with regards to ISIS what it may do to our allies and future relationships needs to be considered as well. 

[Ten oz]

Turkey appears ready to quickly jump into the vacuum the U.S. pull out of Syria is about to create. 

Quote

 

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey is massing troops near a town in northern Syria held by a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force, a war monitor and Turkish media said Sunday.

The buildup comes even though Turkey said it would delay a promised offensive in eastern Syria in the wake of U.S. decisions to withdraw its troops.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to dislodge the Kurdish fighters, who Turkey views as an extension of the insurgency within its borders. The U.S. had partnered with the Syrian Kurdish militia to drive out the Islamic State group since 2014. But the partnership had soured relations between Ankara and Washington.

https://www.apnews.com/f97076b0dafe4714981462bfc32a99f5

 

 

[Airbrush]

Trump often makes dramatic announcements that he either reverses or it just never happens.  How sure can anyone be that the troops are actually pulled out of Syria?

[Ten oz]

1 minute ago, Airbrush said:

Trump often makes dramatic announcements that he either reverses or it just never happens.  How sure can anyone be that the troops are actually pulled out of Syria?

Considering Trump's Sec of Defense and the U.S. envoy in Syria resigned over it I think there is more here than just an empty announcement. 

Quote

 

A top US official in the fight against so-called Islamic State group has quit over President Donald Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria.

Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat IS, brought his departure forward from February.

Before Mr Trump's announcement he had insisted that the US would continue working against IS in Syria.

Mr Trump described Mr McGurk's resignation as a "nothing event".

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46661384

 

 

[Siyatanush]

Is USA the policeman of the Middle East?

[iNow]

1 minute ago, Siyatanush said:

Is USA the policeman of the Middle East?

No, but used to be the policeman of the world 

[Siyatanush]

Does it still plan to do that work at the cost of life of its soldiers?

[iNow]

The US or those in charge of it right now, which do you mean?

[Siyatanush]

I am talking of the US. It already has failed to bring peace in Afghanistan despite trying for 17 years. Vietnam was a very bad experience.

Why keep involving in conflicts around the world when China is trying to overtake America in every sphere?

[iNow]

Money and power

[Ten oz]

As the Trump administration seeks footing on what the U.S.'s involvement in Syria should be tensions are growing with Turkey. 

Quote

 

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia in Syria, weakening the Turkish lira and prompting sharp criticism from Ankara on Monday.

Relations between the two NATO allies have been strained over U.S. backing for the Kurdish YPG, which Turkey views as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that is waging a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil. Link