10-23-2019, 11:23 AM
** 23-Oct-2019 World View: Trump's victory speech on Turkey and Syria
I just watched Trump's victory speech on the Turkey-Syria-Kurd
situation, and have a couple of quick thoughts.
Trump said that the ceasefire would be "permanent." When I heard
this, I wondered, as I often do, what comes over almost all
politicians to think that they're so brilliant that they can make
impossible things happen. (This is the discredited "Great Man Theory
of History.")
However, I share the view that this outcome was much better than if
Trump had sent in thousands of American troops to stop Turkey's
invasion, as many, many people said they wanted. "Countless Kurdish
lives have been saved, without the spilling of any American blood."
And: "Let someone else fight on this long bloodstained sand."
Trump said that the Kurdish generals were very pleased by the outcome,
since the alternative was a massacre by the Turks. He didn't mention
the claim that the Kurds were betrayed. Trump said that the ISIS
prisoners were under control of the Kurds, and that most of those few
who had escaped had been recaptured.
Trump did not say anything about the Syrian and Russian troops in the
region. In fact, he never once uttered the word "Russia." This will
continue to be a controversial issue.
Trump looked very tired, much more tired than I can recall ever
seeing him.
I just watched Trump's victory speech on the Turkey-Syria-Kurd
situation, and have a couple of quick thoughts.
Trump said that the ceasefire would be "permanent." When I heard
this, I wondered, as I often do, what comes over almost all
politicians to think that they're so brilliant that they can make
impossible things happen. (This is the discredited "Great Man Theory
of History.")
However, I share the view that this outcome was much better than if
Trump had sent in thousands of American troops to stop Turkey's
invasion, as many, many people said they wanted. "Countless Kurdish
lives have been saved, without the spilling of any American blood."
And: "Let someone else fight on this long bloodstained sand."
Trump said that the Kurdish generals were very pleased by the outcome,
since the alternative was a massacre by the Turks. He didn't mention
the claim that the Kurds were betrayed. Trump said that the ISIS
prisoners were under control of the Kurds, and that most of those few
who had escaped had been recaptured.
Trump did not say anything about the Syrian and Russian troops in the
region. In fact, he never once uttered the word "Russia." This will
continue to be a controversial issue.
Trump looked very tired, much more tired than I can recall ever
seeing him.
