• About Us
  • Who Are We
  • Work With Us
Friday, March 31, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Globe Post
39 °f
New York
44 ° Fri
46 ° Sat
40 ° Sun
41 ° Mon
No Result
View All Result
The Globe Post
No Result
View All Result
Home Editorials

US Has No Clear Syria Strategy, But Trump Makes Bad Situation Worse

The Editorial Board by The Editorial Board
12/21/18
in Editorials
US President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump. Photo: Saul Loeb, AFP

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

One of Donald J. Trump’s campaign promises was to “knock the hell out of ISIS.” But before the group was entirely eliminated, the president suddenly decided to bring troops in Syria back home.

The ill-advised decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria against the advice of top national security figures has justifiably alarmed the Pentagon. In protest, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday, ending an uneasy working relationship with President Trump that has turned toxic in the past couple of months. Leading Republican lawmakers, as well as former defense officials, are imploring the president to reverse his decision, arguing that the pullout of around 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria would embolden Iran and Russia.

First, let’s get one thing straight: the U.S. didn’t have a clear strategy in Syria to begin with. It never had. It is not like Washington had a well-thought plan and the president undermined it by withdrawing troops. But he made the bad situation worse. Apart from sending negative signals to countries like Iran and Russia (Trump tweeted that the U.S. is not a policeman of the Middle East), he also abandoned other coalition allies and local partners on the ground.

It is not surprising that President Trump would make such a hasty and impulsive decision in national security matters as consequential as this. Although it runs in contrast to his promise to grant more authority to the Pentagon, the latest drama is a stark reminder that he is willing to call shots by himself despite overwhelming protest. The fact that he made the decision without consulting with relevant Cabinet members, top figures at the Pentagon and without notifying allies is troubling. The abrupt departure of Jim Mattis, so-called the “adult in the room,” further terrified top GOP lawmakers.

Hardly can anyone make sense out of the president’s sudden decision to pull troops out of Syria. He argues that the reason is the defeat of ISIS, a claim that had never been voiced by national security officials before.

It could be related to spiraling government spending. President Trump is now considering taking measures to rein in growing government spending, a reality he woke up to only a month ago. He is planning to cut over $16 billion from the defense spending and he is weighing to slash budgets of other agencies. It is possible that his intention to withdraw troops from Syria was to save money. It is also possible his decision was made easier because NATO ally Turkey promised to do what the U.S. was there for: defeating ISIS and containing Russian and Iranian influence. If this is the case, it is an astonishing naivete to rely on Turkey to do U.S. bidding.

It is all but obvious that President Trump won’t reverse his decision on Syria. Without U.S. presence, it is an open season for Kurds. Russia and Iran would likely won’t allow ISIS to rear its head again. But there is no reason why Turkey won’t continue invading other Kurdish-held towns in northern Syria.

If this is about money, the Pentagon should devise another less-costly strategy to check Russia and Iran in Syria, build a robust autonomous region controlled by Kurds and help allies like France and U.K. to undertake a broader role.

Share2Tweet
The Editorial Board

The Editorial Board

Related Posts

Syrian rescuers and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building, in the rebel-held northern countryside of Syria's Idlib province on the border with Turkey, early on February 6, 2023. Syrian rescuers (White Helmets) and civilians search for victims and survivors amid the rubble of a collapsed building
World

Quake Kills Over 1,200 Across Turkey, Syria

by Staff Writer
February 6, 2023
Greek Immigration Minister Notis Mitarachi
Refugees

Greece Denies Turkey Claims Over Six Migrants Killed at Sea

by Staff Writer
September 14, 2022
anti femicide group
Democracy at Risk

Anti-Femicide Group Goes on Trial in Turkey, Faces Risk of Closure

by Staff Writer
June 1, 2022
Bashar Assad
Middle East

Syria Frees 60 Prisoners in Presidential Amnesty: Monitor

by Staff Writer
May 3, 2022
The Club Netflix
Lifestyle

Netflix Series Helps Heal Wounds of Turkey’s Jews

by Staff Writer
March 19, 2022
US Syria raid
Middle East

ISIS Chief Blows Himself Up During US Raid in Syria

by Staff Writer
February 3, 2022
Next Post
A Syrian refugee family in Jordan

'Home is Better Than Camps': Refugees Return to Syria Despite Hazardous Conditions

South Sudan's cvil war

South Sudan Authorities Attempt to Inflate Children's Age to Carry Out Executions

Recommended

Damage from a series of powerful storms and at least one tornado is seen on March 25, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi

After Tornado Kills 25, Mississippi Faces More Extreme Weather

March 26, 2023
Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters in Times Square near a military recruitment centre

Tennessee Is A Drag on the First Amendment

March 26, 2023
participants of an artificial intelligence conference

How AI Could Upend the World Even More Than Electricity or the Internet

March 19, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

March 15, 2023
Heavily armed police inspect the area near a Jehovah's Witness church where several people have been killed in a shooting in Hamburg, northern Germany

Eight Dead in Shooting at Jehovah’s Witness Hall in Germany

March 10, 2023
Myanmar Rohingya refugees look on in a refugee camp in Teknaf, in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, on November 26, 2016

US Announces $26M in New Aid for Rohingya

March 8, 2023

Opinion

Transgender Army veteran Tanya Walker speaks to protesters in Times Square near a military recruitment centre

Tennessee Is A Drag on the First Amendment

March 26, 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping

China’s Path to Economic Dominance

March 15, 2023
An earthquake survivor reacts as rescuers look for victims and other survivors in Hatay, a Turkish province where hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the earthquake

Heed the Call of Our Broken World

March 1, 2023
Top view of the US House of Representatives

‘Cringy Awards:’ Who Is the Most Embarrassing US House Representative?

February 13, 2023
Protesters rally against the fatal police assault of Tyre Nichols, outside of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit, Michigan, on January 27, 2023

How Do Violent ‘Monsters’ Take Root?

February 3, 2023
George Santos from the 3rd Congressional district of New York

George Santos for Speaker!

January 16, 2023
Facebook Twitter

Newsletter

Do you like our reporting?
SUBSCRIBE

About Us

The Globe Post

The Globe Post is part of Globe Post Media, a U.S. digital news organization that is publishing the world's best targeted news sites.

submit oped

© 2018 The Globe Post

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • World
  • Business
  • Interviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Democracy at Risk
    • Media Freedom
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Columns
    • Book Reviews
    • Stage
  • Submit Op-ed

© 2018 The Globe Post