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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Trump Is Right About Syria (and Turkey) |
| 2018-12-22 |
| [AmGreatness] The United States is no longer the sole superpower in the world. Of course, it is the most dominant force on the planet, but that dominance‐relative to the capabilities of other countries‐has declined. Revanchist states, such as Russia, China, or Iran‐even "friendly" states that have become disenchanted by the West, such as Turkey‐are now arising to complicate U.S. foreign policy in ways not experienced since the nineteenth century. This is particularly true in the vital region of the Middle East. If the world has entered a multipolar age in which many, variegated powers compete with one another in an endless game of dominance over limited territory and resources, then the Mideast is the definitive example of the trend. All of the problems the United States is facing today are playing themselves out with terminal intensity in the land between Europe and Asia, also known as the Middle East. Riven by ethno-religious, tribal, and historical tensions, the Middle East is experiencing harrowing changes. In many respects, the same kind of turmoil that drove Europe mad during their religious feuds several centuries ago are now driving politics in the Middle East today; the only difference being more advanced weaponry. Today, a potentially nuclear-armed Iran is gobbling up the region, as are the Russians. |
| Posted by:746 |
| #2 thnx |
| Posted by: 746 2018-12-22 23:33 |
| #1 Interesting. Good post, 746. From the article: PEARL-CLUTCHING IS A WASHINGTON SPORT Everyone in Washington is screaming that Trump is handing Syria (and the wider Middle East) over to Russia, Iran, and their newfound allies in Turkey, while at the same time selling out America’s erstwhile Kurdish friends to be annihilated by the Turks over long-standing religious, political, and historical differences. The experts, once again, are wrong. Their appraisal of American military power and reach undercuts the fact that the United States still will be capable of striking back against enemy targets that may appear in Syria after American forces pull out. By pulling out U.S. forces, Trump is likely giving Turkey time to recognize that neither the Iranians nor the Russians will prove receptive to their goal of reconstituting the Ottoman Empire in the region. Israel will not be too keen on the idea, either. Trump isn’t "handing" Syria over to anyone. The president is merely recognizing that geopolitics is about leverage. Compared to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, as well as the Russians, Iranians, and Turks, the United States has little leverage there. Keeping 2,000 Americans on the ground in Syria, with big targets painted on their backs, will not "stabilize" the region. It will likely compel Russia, Iran, and others to take harsher action against perceived U.S. interests in the region. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2018-12-22 17:49 |