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Getting out of Syria: Wise or foolish?
American Thinker ^ | Oct 8, 2019 | Don Sucher

Posted on 10/08/2019 11:16:39 AM PDT by 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?

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


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia; Syria; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: abandoningallies; erdogan; kurdistan; kurds; receptayyiperdogan; russia; syria; turkey
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Good article.
1 posted on 10/08/2019 11:16:39 AM PDT by upchuck
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To: upchuck

Shouldn’t have been there in the first place.


2 posted on 10/08/2019 11:17:48 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: upchuck

I’m curious who Trump consulted on this. Do we really believe Turkey isn’t going into Syria with nefarious intentions?


3 posted on 10/08/2019 11:20:01 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Every liberal should be red-flagged.)
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To: Brilliant
Exactly. We are seeing far more media coverage of this decision to withdraw from Syria then we saw when the U.S. first occupied Syria.

That right there speaks volumes about how illicit our whole military-media-government complex is.

4 posted on 10/08/2019 11:20:47 AM PDT by Alberta's Child ("Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave." -- Frederick Douglass)
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To: ScottinVA

There were people in Syria who earned their living from US tax dollars by guarding ISIS prisoners.
I suspect that Turkey is going to solve that cost issue moving forward for us.


5 posted on 10/08/2019 11:22:37 AM PDT by MIA_eccl1212 (Imho)
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To: upchuck

Getting out of Syria and Afghanistan is quite foolish to the deep state. IKE warned of the military industrial complex. It has grown exponentially since then. Constant war is a great source of income for the military industrial deep state. CIA needs to protect their heron industry to keep big incomes. Lots of Americans have the patriotism of World War II which has been corrupted by the government to supply willing soldiers and mercenaries.


6 posted on 10/08/2019 11:23:35 AM PDT by mountainlion (Live well for those that did not make it back.)
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To: upchuck

The day Trump is praised for an action, I’ll start to be concerned. As long as he is criticized, I am going to assume he’s correct.


7 posted on 10/08/2019 11:23:49 AM PDT by CodeJockey (Dum Spiro, Pugno)
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To: ScottinVA

“Do we really believe Turkey isn’t going into Syria with nefarious intentions?”

Perhaps this is his was of getting rid of Ergoden. Get him to go into Syria, then pull the economic props out from under him.


8 posted on 10/08/2019 11:24:21 AM PDT by ryderann
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To: ScottinVA

We only had 50 people in this area what the hell is all the hoopla about over 50 people, how much could 50 people actually do for security against a whole Turkish army!!!!


9 posted on 10/08/2019 11:24:25 AM PDT by Trump Girl Kit Cat (Yosemite Sam raising hell)
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To: upchuck

Sure is strange how suddenly the Democrats are worried about our military.................


10 posted on 10/08/2019 11:32:58 AM PDT by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain...................)
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To: Trump Girl Kit Cat

To hear the MSM tell it, it sounds like we had 3 divisions there................


11 posted on 10/08/2019 11:33:49 AM PDT by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain...................)
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To: Brilliant

Give the Kurds weapons and let them have at it. They have no rules of engagement, they can go General Sherman on them.


12 posted on 10/08/2019 11:35:48 AM PDT by coon2000 (Give me Liberty or give me death)
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To: upchuck
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?

The UK supports our presence there. In Syria, the recognized government never approved our presence in their country and wants us out. Legally, we are violating their sovereignty. And Congress has never declared war against Syria despite the fact that we bombed the country almost daily for years. Time to go.

13 posted on 10/08/2019 11:42:45 AM PDT by kabar
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To: Trump Girl Kit Cat

Tripwire troops.


14 posted on 10/08/2019 11:43:41 AM PDT by kabar
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To: upchuck

The Kurds are at risk, but there’s nothing new about that. We should base any assistance on our national interest, not on being Mr. Nice Guy to every put-upon tribe in the world.

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


15 posted on 10/08/2019 11:46:59 AM PDT by JimRed ( TERM LIMITS, NOW! Build the Wall Faster! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH.)
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To: upchuck
We really are not in Syria in any large or formal way

Syria is a low rent, low intensity bush league ( no pun) conflict from a military standpoint but it’s positive resolution is absolutely huge in strategic terms

Right now, US policy is enabling status quo just perpetuates the violence while trying to keep it at minimal level. This is not working because the players are plotting and rearming for a larger escalation to try to take control of a very weakened Syria

President Trump is trying to kick the stool out from underneath the status quo and shock the world community into taking positive action for a change

16 posted on 10/08/2019 11:48:07 AM PDT by rdcbn ( Referentia)
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To: upchuck

Trump will adjust the strategy as necessary.


17 posted on 10/08/2019 11:49:24 AM PDT by cymbeline
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To: upchuck

A spec ops unit with small arms, there for observing and advising, isn’t much of a story.


18 posted on 10/08/2019 11:49:51 AM PDT by lurk
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To: upchuck

Some causes are noble in theory but impossible to succeed/win in fact. ME is a bucket of hurt, few good players with mostly very bad actors, a no win situation. Hate to walk out on the Kurds but even a full blown win would prove little benefit; give them the one shot choice of weapons or plane tickets, then leave.


19 posted on 10/08/2019 11:59:58 AM PDT by ctdonath2 (Specialization is for insects.)
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To: upchuck

We are not getting out of Syria. Look at this fuel requisition for our Iraqi bases:

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=e7b21313e672333316a20f6a07503e23&tab=core&_cview=1

Click on SPE605-19-R-0212

That requisition also happens to include 19 bases in Syria.......


20 posted on 10/08/2019 12:05:25 PM PDT by gandalftb
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