Generational Dynamics World View

[John J. Xenakis]

** 07-Oct-2019 World View: Decision to withdraw from NE Syria generates controversy

• Erdogan and Trump meet in June

When President Trump last year announced his intention to withdraw US
troops from northeast Syria, it drew many protests, and was given as
the reason for the resignation of James Mattis as Defense Secretary.

The protests accused Trump of leaving the Kurds to the mercy of Turkey
and Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who views all Kurds as
terrorists. However, it was the Kurds, with the help of American
airstrikes, who defeated ISIS and ejected them from their caliphate in
Raqqa. The Kurds claim that the Americans promised to stay and
protect them from Turkey, but the Americans claim that no such promise
was made.

Trump delayed the withdrawal because of the huge controversy, but now
has has issued the following statement:

Quote: "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."

Trump's statement follows a meeting last week with Erdogan, and a
phone call of Sunday with Erdogan. Erdogan threatened to begin a
military invasion of Syria whether the US troops were there or not,
and the withdrawal of American troops prevents a confrontation with
Turkish troops.

Erdogan has said that Turkey will establish a 20-mile "safe zone" or
"buffer zone" in northern Syria, along the border with Turkey, and
will use that to prevent the further influx of Syrian refugees into
Turkey. There are many Kurds and their families living in the
intended buffer zone, and it's not clear how Turkey will handle them.

Another issue is that the successful Kurdish fight against ISIS
resulted in tens of thousands of ISIS prisoners. These ISIS fighters
originally came from other countries, especially European countries,
to join ISIS. As part of the current agreement, Turkey will take
responsibility for all the ISIS fighters held as prisoners.

A White House statement said:

Quote: "The United States Government has pressed France,
Germany, and other European nations, from which many captured ISIS
fighters came, to take them back, but they did not want them and
refused. The United States will not hold them for what could be
many years and great cost to the United States taxpayer. Turkey
will now be responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured
over the past two years."

Trump tweeted:

Quote: "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."

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who almost always
supports Trump, opposed Trump's withdrawal decision.

Quote: "The biggest lie being told by the administration [is]
that ISIS is defeated. This impulsive decision by the president
has undone all the gains we've made, thrown the region into
further chaos. ... I hope I'm making myself clear how shortsighted
and irresponsible this decision is in my view."

Senator Marco Rubio joined Graham and other Republican senators in
criticizing Trump's decision.

---- Sources:

-- Defying Pentagon, Trump Backs Turkish Operation in Syria Targeting
U.S.-backed Kurds
https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news...-1.7950055
(Haaretz, 7-Oct-2019)

-- 'Disaster in the making': Fellow Republicans torch Trump's Syria
policy
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/10/07...ion-037052
(Politico, 7-Oct-2019)

-- Turkey threatens military operation into Syria against
American-backed Kurdish forces
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoint...sh-forces/
(AP, 6-Oct-2019)

-- To set up ‘safe zone,’ US wades into muddled Syria politics
https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoint...-politics/
(AP, 8-Sep-2019)

-- US troops start pullout from along Turkey’s border in Syria
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-...-in-syria/
(AP, 7-Oct-2019)