Getting out of Syria: Wise or foolish?

American Thinker ^ | Oct 8, 2019 | Don Sucher

[upchuck]

President Trump has announced that he is withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria. The reaction to this decision has raised cries of alarm across the political spectrum.

I claim no expertise in international affairs but will share some thoughts on this latest noisy crisis of faith (and unfaith) in our president.

Although it is easy to pick and choose quotes from America's founders and original thinkers, President Trump's actions seem to line up with the thinking of several of these men.

Thomas Jefferson described what he saw as America's role in the world thus: "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none."

George Washington was even more to the point. He said that we as a nation should "act for ourselves and not for others" and spoke of our nation's very "character" as a nation as being "wholly free of foreign attachments."

That was our nation's understanding for generations, but America's thinking and its role in the world changed after WWII, for then much of the world lay largely in ruins, and it thus looked to America — to its industry, to its wealth, to its power.

That America took on that great responsibility is, in my estimation, much to its credit.

But to that must be added that social inertia is real. What one starts to do, one in time comes to see as natural and normal.

When American troops set up bases in Great Britain, for instance, with the buildup to defeat Nazi Germany, did Americans think we'd still see our military there some 70-plus years later?

[silverleaf]

Wise

Put them in Jordan and they can respond in 30 minutes if needed

[1Old Pro]

If it’s just about finding the Kurds a homeland, give them San Francisco.

[ScottinVA]

I have some mixed feelings about that, as the Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan actually thanked the US for removing Saddam.

Exactly. The guys I know who deployed to northern Iraq said the Kurdish Peshmerga were the best and most reliable troops over there... far better than those Arabs.

[silverleaf]

You mean nefarious as in stopping PKK border raids, stopping smuggling by terror groups, and securing the Turkish border?

[silverleaf]

Erdogan is meeting Trump in DC in November

Hillary and her Gulenistas will be deeply saddened

[ScottinVA]

ou mean nefarious as in stopping PKK border raids, stopping smuggling by terror groups, and securing the Turkish border?

I'm talking "nefarious" as attacking all Kurdish positions, regardless of whether they're PKK or Peshmerga. Remember, it's mainly the Kurds who are guarding the prisons holding 10,000 ISIS. Turkey doesn't have a particularly good record in that fight.

[silverleaf]

Or northern Germany

[yldstrk]

There are only 1000 troops there

[McGruff]

The United States was supposed to be in Syria for 30 days, that was many years ago. We stayed and got deeper and deeper into battle with no aim in sight. When I arrived in Washington, ISIS was running rampant in the area. We quickly defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate,.....

....including capturing thousands of ISIS fighters, mostly from Europe. But Europe did not want them back, they said you keep them USA! I said “NO, we did you a great favor and now you want us to hold them in U.S. prisons at tremendous cost. They are yours for trials.” They.....

.....again said “NO,” thinking, as usual, that the U.S. is always the “sucker,” on NATO, on Trade, on everything. The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades. I held off this fight for....

....almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to.....

...figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their “neighborhood.” They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
7:40 AM · Oct 7, 2019

[Hot Tabasco]

I’ve heard reports from only 24 U.S. individuals to 100, both are insignificant numbers. Pull them out and leave whatever weaponry they were using to the Syrians ( or Kurds or whomever) who should have been trained sufficiently in their use by now......

[silverleaf]

And where do you expect those 10,000 ISIS ( many Europeans and nonSyrians) to go?

Those countries wont take back those terrorists and we sure as hell dont want them. Let Turkey have them.

[ScottinVA]

Let Turkey have them.

Turkey won't take them... they'll attack the Kurds who are guarding them, leaving one scenario and one only... 10,000 ISIS demons unleashed onto that landmass.

[Glad2bnuts]

Or the Kurds will use 20,000 rounds of ammo getting rid of the trash.

[ScottinVA]

Or the Kurds will use 20,000 rounds of ammo getting rid of the trash.

Hopefully!

[Buttons12]

Trump doesn’t think we should water the foul political fields of s’holes with our blood.
Do you have to be a libertarian to agree with that? Seems fairly common sensible to me.
And there are other approaches to problems posed by s’hole countries.

[Retain Mike]

The decision to leave Syria reminded me of the U.S. Naval Institute article titled “Senators Quiz Military Leaders on U.S. Forces in Syria after ISIS”. It is interesting, because of the map presenting areas controlled by various armed factions. This colorful crazy quilt identifies Syrian Kurds and Aligned Forces, Syrian Government Forces, Islamic State Forces, Syrian Opposition Forces, Turkish Military Backed Forces, and some white areas for which evidently no one can hazard a guess. Remote from each other are two tiny circles labeled U.S./Coalition Military. The map does not account for Israeli airstrikes. Here is an endless array of possible permutations for factions to fight each other.

Based on the occupation of two tiny enclaves, I wonder how one could divine any meaningful level of influence in the face of such turmoil? A comprehensive ceasefire seems remote. Even if achieved, then where do you find the diplomatic skills needed to sort out the combatants into peaceful agrarian villages like you see on Star Trek Second Generation?

However, the alternative should be a Russian/Iranian dominated Syria under Assad, and that could be unpleasant. Since our tiny presence would be unlikely to influence that outcome, why should we accept an indefinite mission to support one of the remaining factions?

. Senators Quiz Military Leaders on U.S. Forces in Syria after ISIS https://news.usni.org/2018/03/13/senators-quiz-military-leaders-u-s-forces-syria-isis?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=4be94c77a1-USNI_NEWS_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0dd4a1450b-4be94c77a1-230377553&mc_cid=4be94c77a1&mc_eid=d1b7ba249a

[Robert DeLong]

I disagree. Can’t let ISIS or any other radical group control any territory, but we have defeated ISIS and it is time to disengage now. President Trump wanted to do this quite awhile back if everyone remembers, but he got the same blowback when he tried. This time he will ignore the blowback, because he wants to keep his promise.

[Brilliant]

Syria has been a Russian cli not state since the 60s. They would have taken out ISIS if we did not. All we did is relieve them of the burden to do so by assuming it onto ourselves.

[silverleaf]

If they are released into Syria, the Russians and the SAA will kill them

Horrible human rights tragedy

Not

[Sirius Lee]

Call you congressman. Demand that he declare war on Turkey, as the Constitution requires.