Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

America Is Planning to Withdraw From Syria—and Create a Disaster
Foreign Policy ^ | 1/24/24 | Charles Lister,

Posted on 01/24/2024 10:08:27 AM PST by JonPreston

Since Hamas’s brutal attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and the resulting Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, tensions and hostilities across the Middle East have reached fever pitch. And with such a complex regional crisis playing out, it should not come as a surprise that the Biden administration is reconsidering its military priorities in the region.

It should be cause for significant concern, however, that this could involve a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. While no definitive decision has been made to leave, four sources within the Defense and State departments said the White House is no longer invested in sustaining a mission that it perceives as unnecessary. Active internal discussions are now underway to determine how and when a withdrawal may take place.

(Excerpt) Read more at foreignpolicy.com ...


TOPICS: Gaza; Hamas; Iran; Iraq; Israel; Jordon; Lebanon; News/Current Events; Syria; War on Terror; Yemen
KEYWORDS: armenia; azerbaijan; charleslister; createmyass; eastmed; eastmedpipeline; erdogan; gaza; hamas; iran; iraq; irgc; israel; jordan; jordannotjordon; kurdistan; lebanon; muzziehellhole; ohnoz; opec; opecplus; pipeline; qudsforce; receptayyiperdogan; syria; turkey; uae; underthebus; underthebusgoessyria; unitedarabemirates; unitednations; unrwa; untiednations; unwra; waronterror; withdraw; yemen
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-48 next last
To: HYPOCRACY

Right you are. Saddam Hussain was a terrible person, obviously. But when Bush II toppled Saddam, he upset the apple cart in the whole region. There is now no counterbalance to Iran. And the Syria/Iraq border region is a dangerous hot spot.

Obama and Biden are fools. But Bush II has them both beat.


21 posted on 01/24/2024 10:27:10 AM PST by Leaning Right (The steal is real.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: desertsolitaire

Lots of people have suffered and died so the war mongers could line their pockets. When it’s necessary to fight a war, it should be done with a massive overwhelming force so it is over quickly and there is no doubt as to who won. That is somehow not how things are done these days.


22 posted on 01/24/2024 10:29:21 AM PST by Dutch Boy (The only thing worse than having something taken from you is to have it returned broken. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

Arabs can’t drink their oil. It does not matter who controls the oil, a dictator or sheikh or a democratic government. They will all sell oil at market price.


23 posted on 01/24/2024 10:29:31 AM PST by Bobbyvotes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: shanover

Don’t leave out Bush.


24 posted on 01/24/2024 10:29:33 AM PST by Real Cynic No More (Things are fraying my nerves!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

This is happening because Iraq is about to formerly ask all US troops to leave. The US-Syria bases are supplied from Iraq. Iraq is fed up with us staying there and have refused to allow US personnel to leave Iraq bases, and are threatening to cut off all supply flights even into Iraq. So we are losing the ability to resupply the US bases in Syria and Iraq. Sitting ducks all around. Way past time to get completely out of both countries.


25 posted on 01/24/2024 10:30:08 AM PST by SDShack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

“agree, I think things are a lot worse there than we know.”

ABSOLUTELY.


26 posted on 01/24/2024 10:34:46 AM PST by BobL (Trump gets my vote, even if I have to write him in; Millions of others will do the same)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston
It should be cause for significant concern, however, that this could involve a full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria

No, it's a cause for rejoicing.

And just imagine if they were deployed along the Rio Grande!

27 posted on 01/24/2024 10:36:00 AM PST by Jim Noble (Assez des mensonges et des phrases)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

Foreign Policy Magazine is the Penthouse and Hustler magazine for globalists and neocons. Lord only knows what they are thinking when they open its cover.

Are we taking bets on how much equipment will get left behind?

The Vegas over/under is at $70 billion.....


28 posted on 01/24/2024 10:44:41 AM PST by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

Good. Bring all our troops home, beef up our defenses and screw these foreign entanglements.


29 posted on 01/24/2024 10:46:57 AM PST by muir_redwoods (Freedom isn't free, liberty isn't liberal and you'll never find anything Right on the Left)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

We have our own oil


30 posted on 01/24/2024 10:47:49 AM PST by muir_redwoods (Freedom isn't free, liberty isn't liberal and you'll never find anything Right on the Left)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Dutch Boy

The ironic thing is that 4 years ago, Trump wanted to leave Syria, having exactly anticipated the scenario we are seeing now - and he was talked out of it by the homo Graham and cuck Pence, and sabotaged by the deep-state and its media allies.


31 posted on 01/24/2024 10:47:57 AM PST by PGR88
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston
Obama sent troops to Syria. President Trump ordered them all removed. And he was consistently ied to about the number of troops in Syria.

Retiring diplomat says defense officials misled Trump on troop count in Syria

32 posted on 01/24/2024 10:59:24 AM PST by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mass55th

ied = lied.


33 posted on 01/24/2024 11:01:00 AM PST by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 32 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston
Iran is either a credible threat to the U.S. or not. If it is, we want bases there and if not, get out. I actually think Iran is a very real threat, mostly by igniting a world war. Assetts in the region let us parlay and leverage resistance to Iran's intentions. Once you leave, it is really hard to get back in and reestablish a base of operations. The mistake, of course, and cited by others on this forum, was the Bushinistas toppling Saddam. Saddam was the balance to Iran. He was weak enough militarily (Iran's army was 2 to 3 times as big as Iraq's) that he had to convince everyone he had weapons of mass destruction (bio and chemical). He did a good job of that and ironically resulted in his demise. But that is looking back, now Iran is unleashed and the U.S. and Israel, mostly Israel with the Biden administration, is really what is keeping Iran in check.
34 posted on 01/24/2024 11:01:16 AM PST by lp boonie (Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

If the US had assisted Assad Senior in eliminating the Muslim Brotherhood (and similar organizations) in Syria and surrounding nations, we could have a neutral relationship with Syria now, saved Lebanon and easily influenced Assad to make peace with Israel and ended the Golan Heights standoff.


35 posted on 01/24/2024 11:03:10 AM PST by Navy Patriot (Celebrate Decivilization)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

Well Recep Tayyip Erdogan the President of Turkey is important to Biden in relation to Russia-Ukraine and the whole Middle East situation.

Erdogan hosting the Iranian President today.

Erdogan is upset with the US alliance with the Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq he considers to be terrorists for wanting a Kurdish nation including Iraqi-Syrian-Iranian-Turkish territory.

If Biden wants Erdogan on line our troops will certainly have to pull out.


36 posted on 01/24/2024 11:07:06 AM PST by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS-REMEMBER REV. NIEMOLLER)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston
These troops never should have been there in the first place.

MAGA (Make America Great Again) ... not MMEISSA (Make Middle Eastern Islamic Sh!tholes Sh!t Again)

37 posted on 01/24/2024 11:19:28 AM PST by Alberta's Child (If something in government doesn’t make sense, you can be sure it makes dollars.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lp boonie
If it is, we want bases there and if not, get out.

If it means "bases there" in friendly countries that want us there, then maybe.

If it means "bases there" in sovereign countries that do not want us there, then hell no.

38 posted on 01/24/2024 11:21:59 AM PST by Alberta's Child (If something in government doesn’t make sense, you can be sure it makes dollars.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: JonPreston

More like taking over oil/gas:

—Syria: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_intervention_in_the_Syrian_civil_war

—Iraq: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq

—Libya: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_military_intervention_in_Libya

—Venezuela: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gideon_(2020)

These are ALL Russian aligned or formal allies as with Syria (since 1970 Russia has had a naval and air base there).

We got involved in these places based on lies, like Iraq with WMD, or false pretenses like Syria and the BS about a red line and chem weapons. It’s always been about oil. It’s what we worry about when we go into these places: https://apnews.com/article/334caccc941b40c99f0a6b9c40cd66cc

Russia is weak. They are an empire in decline and we smell blood in the water. Post Cold War, as time progressed, we have become more and more assertive and belligerent. Our overwhelming economic, political and military hegemony has caused our policy makers to begin acting with impunity. But what we have also caused is for much of the world to begin uniting against us.

This isn’t about our “defense” or “national security.” It’s about us ensuring we are the single source provider of oil and gas on this planet, that essentially anything which fly’s, goes across the ocean, hauls heavy loads on the roads, or pulls things or rail tracks keeps running using energy we control.

There are only 2 nations in this world which control the worlds energy (have ownership or control over the real estate where it comes from), the US and Russia. We control about 2/3rds (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Nigeria...), and the Russians control about 1/3 (Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya...). That does not include what we’re actively trying to tear away from them today.

Even if you have a French (Fina, Total), Dutch (Shell) or British (BP) oil company operating somewhere, the truth is it’s still the US which controls that nation where they are operating from, i.e. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nigeria... In fact, that was a very sticky point when the French opposed the Iraq war in 2003 and then we went in. The French were worried that we would give them the boot. The point is, in the background we control the area, even if you have other countries operating there.

If you notice, you do not see the US concerned much about the Republic of Armenia, what was done with them historically or the threat they face today from the Turks. All these democracy, sovereignty, human rights nonsense arguments are cheesy rationalizations for what is really economically motivated, expeditionary and offensive in nature.

We use these false pretenses to garner support by the masses but they are selectively applied since we do not care much about the human rights abuses by our own allies Saudi Arabia and Jordan and our number one trade partner is a single party communist regime (no democracy) with a human rights record about as bad as they come, PRC. In fact, so ironic is all this false rationalizing that in Syria where we wanted to topple the government and install ours, we ended up supporting folks that were Islamist, as in chop at the neck types after the forces of the groups we were backing began to run out of people. It was actually the government of Assad which was more secular and us arming whack jobs there, just like we armed some whack jobs in Ukraine (Azov) when that benefited us.

We need to calm down and the enemy of our enemy is not always our friend.


39 posted on 01/24/2024 11:29:01 AM PST by Red6
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: shanover

Yeah, leave and turn the oil assets to ISIS so they can renew their Jihad against civilians. Great strategy but so typical of anti-civilization trolls.

LAFF if you think Syria or Russia can control those fields. They tried for 4 years -and failed again and again and again.


40 posted on 01/24/2024 11:47:57 AM PST by Justa (If where you came from is so great then why aren't Floridians moving there?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-48 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson