This is the End...Or Not
By: Turkishny
We have to get out. We need to focus on ourselves, put America first; now. These are words we repeatedly hear from our President with regards to many aspects of foreign policies. So what prompted the latest proclamation to put America first? Pulling our troops out of Syria. American troops have been involved in the Syrian Civil War since 2014 and have been taking military action to combat the extremist group, ISIS, since 2017.
Up until this post, this blog has focuses solely upon political biases that emerge within our own political climate, but what about how the United States' actions affect other countries' political climates and how those inadvertently affect decisions in the United States? That's essentially what happened when the Trump Administration announced this week that US troops will not be pulled out of Syria yet. Earlier this week, Trump's top advisers convinced the president that pulling out of Syria would not be a wise decision because of the potential ramifications.
The Pentagon, Department of State, and the CIA all feared that pulling US troops would result in the creation of a dangerous void. Essentially if the United States was to pull out the troops, the US would cede their occupied land to the current Syrian regime and their Russian-backers. This in turn betrays American allies in the region and neutralizes efforts to influence any post-war order that would take into account Washington's interests. Specifically, the idea of America leaves the ability for Iran to expand their influence in the region. Potential for Iran to expand frightens Israel, who fears a military presence on its borders and Saudi Arabia, Iran's rival in the region.
By: Haaretz
However, Iran isn't the biggest fear of the Pentagon. As of now, it has been reported that 98% of the land taken by ISIS has been reclaimed, but in recent weeks there have been a string of renewed ISIS attacks, hinting at a potential resurgence. The current Administration has a plan to stabilize the battle zones to prevent an ISIS resurgence, yet pulling out would ruin this chance. So, why in the world would we pull out of Syria if our mission was not complete? One of Trump's main campaign promises was eradicating ISIS, so why would he want to pull out when there is still roughly 2% of land left to reclaim? He continually pointed to the premature removal of troops from Iraq by former President Obama back in 2011. Once American troops were gone, it created enough of a vacuum for the terrorist group Al-Queda to survive and morph into what is now ISIS. So why in the world would Trump want to make the same mistake that he criticizes?
You probably guessed it, yet another political agenda. During the 2016 election, President Trump's main campaign promise was putting America first, taking a more isolationist approach to reform. However, Trump's advisers made it clear that the option of bringing home the roughly 2,000 personnel on the ground in Syria was not a possibility unless he wanted much larger problems on his hands. President Trump's original plan was to have all 2,000 of the personnel home within the next six months...conveniently right before the ever so important midterm elections. In order to put himself in the best light possible, as any politician would, Trump needs to fulfill as many campaign promises as possible.
By: Cartoon Stock
Since our troops will be staying in Syria, President Trump has asked Saudi Arabia to contribute $4 Billion in order to support American troops presence and help stabilize Syria because the United States was not going to be the one responsible for the reconstruction of Syria. President Trump believes, and has repeatedly voiced, that the US is overly involved in foreign affairs, wherein the US should be focusing on its internal problems instead. Maybe President Trump is right, but maybe we should finish what we started. According to BBC Arabic, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that the United States made the "wrong decision" getting involved in Syria. He goes on to say that US involvement has only created large divides between various ethnicities.
But, who knows where the truth actually lies anymore? Political motives and objectives tend to be the ultimate motivator for the majority of people in government, so how can we decode the language that is politician? How should the United States address an issue like pulling troops out of Syria? Should we be taking part in foreign issues, or do we need to focus more internally on our own problems?
This is a really interesting blog post! Choosing between focusing on internal affairs or external affairs is an extremely tough choice. I think a lot of it depends on your personal beliefs, whether you stand as a Republican or a Democrat. However, I feel like this will be one of the many political issues that will never come to an exact resolution.
ReplyDeleteI find myself not really listening to politicians because I feel like what they say should mostly be taken with a grain of salt. Not necessarily because they don't actually attempt to take action but because there are so many others factors in play like congress, senate etc. Thanks for explaining all the details, I wasn't entirely well versed on the topic!
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn, on the one hand, I feel for the soldiers and their families and I would really like if they could all come home. Homecomings for soldiers and other military personnel are so special, and deployments are long and strenuous for all partners. On the other hand, I think having a hold in Syria has made us a committed resource the the people there as well. If we were to simply withdraw, we would be giving up on our allies in the middle of the race and that's not fair to anyone. I think we just have to create a balance or just suck it up and stay until the project is over.
ReplyDeleteHi Kaitlyn! First of all, thank you for bringing an interesting and informational perspective to this issue. I am usually very unaware of the political issues going on across border lines. I find it all very confusing. You're right; it is confusing that Trump rants about Obama's mistakes, yet wanted to do the same. It is annoying that our president only makes promises, and takes no action; however, I am glad. He has promised to do some very radical things, and I'd rather it not come to that. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteIt is very unfortunate that here in the U.S. we are so focused on the politics of everything and how decisions will affect the upcoming elections instead of actually making the right decision. Personally I don’t know what the right decision here is. Obviously it is important that terrorist groups are suppressed, but I don’t know if leaving our troops will help facilitate that or if we are just risking American lives for no reason. Nevertheless, our President doesn’t really seem to care about either of those things. He simply cares that he is re-elected and will do chose whatever move makes the most political sense.
ReplyDeleteRe-election and public approval is more important than anything. The length that people would go to remain in power is extremely surprising. And because of term limits, many of those elected to power really do not care about what kind of mess they are leaving for the next person in line. It is all about the voter base.
ReplyDeleteIt’s always more complicated than it seems and always more involved than being able to stick to a promise, especially when international politics are involved. I think you did a good job touching on a lot of the ongoing conflicts surrounding the issue without being too detailed or confusing. Nice job.
ReplyDeleteI normally do not follow the news that closely with all the stuff that is usually going on that I don't really care about. Therefore, I had no idea that Trump suggested that we could pull our troups from Iran. It's a very interesting dilemma and I think that you do a fantastic job of presenting it in an easy to understand way in this blog post. Both sides of the issue have their merits, so choosing one side or the other is pretty difficult. I do think though that keeping our troops there for the time being is a good idea so we can finish what we started. The issues that we would otherwise be focusing on in America would be useless unless we finish off ISIS.
ReplyDeleteThere are always promises being made and nothing being done. I have always been taught to never make promises that I can't keep but clearly politicians don't follow that rule. This a very good blog that simplifies some things that are happening in our country that is hard to understand.
ReplyDeleteThese are great concluding questions to such an important and difficult problem. In a perfect world, war would not even be on the table; however, our world is broken and war is happening, so steps must be taken in the hopes of one day instilling peace. Until such a time, our government needs to focus on the greater good for all human beings. Whatever that decision may involve, I can only hope that the end result will bring peace. I am glad you brought this topic to light!
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