The withdrawal of US President Donald Trump from the "fast" and "full" of US forces from Syria seems to have become a source of tension and tension after a week of reprimand from his Republican colleagues, US military leaders, the United Nations and even his recent administration. .
The Trump Declaration in December brought the withdrawal of 2000 or so soldiers as a surprise to the Pentagon, prompting his former defense minister, James Matisse, to resign in protest at the decision. He is also a surprise to Israel and the US Senate, Have traditionally consulted with him, or at least briefed him before making such decisions.
So it came as a surprise when Trump, the program's presenter, Margaret Brennan, told the CBS news program "Face the Nation" a few days ago: "We'll be back if we have to, we have very fast planes, Cargo planes are very good, we can return very quickly, we will not leave, we have a base in Iraq, and it is in a great location ».
Trump spoke in a long and inconsistent interview in which he vowed to keep US forces in Iraq "to watch Iran," adding that military intervention was still an option in Venezuela. It was the article that opened a week of contradictory statements on the issue. On Monday, the Republican-led Senate passed a bill opposing Trump's withdrawal and any plans for a sudden withdrawal of troops from Syria and Afghanistan. Trump's reprimand may point to the biggest split in foreign policy between the Republican leadership in the Senate and Trump so far in his presidency.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell defended the legislation itself, passed as part of a larger bill. Finally, during Trump's State of the Union address, he sat down and did not rise to applause when Trump declared that "the great Powers are not engaged in endless wars." Later, it was time to give "brave warriors in Syria a warm welcome in their homeland."
A few days ago, the commander of the US Army Central Command, General Joseph Fotel, warned the Senate Armed Services Committee of the danger of a "resurgent" organization following the planned withdrawal of Trump from Syria. "A hasty withdrawal" could further destabilize the region and make it easier for Iran or Russia to fill the void, he said.
On that day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also warned that the "preacher" did not come close to defeat, but turned into a secret network interested in attacking aviation and using chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. In an 18-page report submitted to the United Nations Security Council, which Guterres said, "the Da'ash" still has up to $ 300 million at its disposal, and up to 18,000 of its militias in Iraq Syria, including up to 3,000 foreign fighters.
Reuters says the report describes "urging" that it is "the most ambitious international terrorist group and more likely to carry out a large-scale and complex attack in the near future." Speaking to representatives of the 79-nation global coalition to defeat a "preacher," Trump declared that the Da'ash organization had been completely destroyed, and claimed that an American withdrawal would not provoke a "rebuke", in direct contradiction to Fotel, .
A clear contradiction
Even his interview with the "Face of the Nation" program - in which he insisted that "we will be there and will stay there to protect Israel" - seemed contradictory to Wednesday's remarks "must be announced at some time, probably next week, Will be 100% over, "said Trump, adding that" Da'ash "now controls less than two square miles in Syria.
In the "Face of the Nation" program, Brennan pressed Trump if by announcing his withdrawal in advance, he had done exactly what his predecessor Barack Obama had strongly criticized in Iraq (the declaration of withdrawal). It was hard to understand Trump's answer: "No, no, no, there When President Obama withdrew from Iraq, Iraq became a theoretical group, in other words, Iraq was following us. " There was considerable debate about Brennan's question. In January, a suicide bomber of four Americans, including two soldiers, was killed. The bombing was apparently part of an attempt to target US forces and accelerate their withdrawal.
A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was preparing to pull out an "important part" of troops by mid-March, with a full withdrawal taking place in April. This comes at a time when the administration has recognized that there is no plan to protect the Kurdish allies who helped defeat the "dashing" against the threats of Turkey and Assad.
Stay tuned
Tramp's foreign policy has had one solid element in the last two years, the unpredictability of what he will do next. Trump often makes the Pentagon or his allies in constant alert, either by holding closed meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin or by canceling military maneuvers in South Korea without telling the Pentagon or Seoul, or as with his surprise in Syria.
On 13 and 14 September, the Trump administration held a conference in Warsaw aimed at "changing the behavior of Iran" in the Middle East, said Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo. This summit was witnessed by the new UN Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, who summed up the situation in Syria, and briefed six committees, each aimed at fighting a particular feature of the dangers Iran might pose. The committees are supposed to focus on terrorism and extremism, cybersecurity, ballistic missile development, the protection of sea lanes and human rights. The conference is certainly a major test of the US administration, looking for some form of long-term US strategy in the Middle East.
One constant element of Trump's foreign policy in the past two years is the unpredictability of what he will do next. Trump often makes the Pentagon or his allies in constant alert, either by holding closed meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin or by canceling military maneuvers in South Korea without telling the Pentagon or Seoul, or as with his surprise in Syria.
A report describing "calling" the most ambitious international terrorist groups, and more likely to carry out a large-scale and complex attack in the near future.