In my great and unmatched wisdom...

[Tuuvi]

A lot of people are exclaiming that this will ruin US credibility and hamper our ability to cultivate local allies and partners, but they're kind of wrong. There are a lot of desperate and naive people in this world, and the US is expert at taking advantage of them. About allies and betrayals and why the US will never run out of allies to betray so long as it remains an empire: "Under these circumstances, one has to wonder why the Kurds kept putting their faith in the United States. The answer should be clear: The United States is powerful and can afford to be duplicitous, whereas the Kurds are weak and are thus forced to be credulous."


You know, the US has betrayed many people in the past, not least its own citizens, and continues to do so. We're a very careless and callous country. But sanctioning a Turkish invasion of Rojava scans like cold-blooded treachery, almost literally turncoat. Trump didn't give the command to "execute Order 66," but it's not far off.

Since the YPG/YPJ are leftists I think they always knew the US are imperialist bastards, but the US started aiding them just when they were on the verge of getting destroyed by ISIS so they really had no choice but to accept the help, and afterwards they were reliant on US protection to avoid getting destroyed by Turkey.

I agree that the way Trump pulled out in order to make way for a Turkish invasion right after the SDF had dismantled some of their fortifications was especially treacherous, but it was expected that the US would turn its back on the YPG/YPJ eventually because Turkey is a much more important ally than a leftist militia with ties to a designated terrorist organization (not that I think the YPG/YPJ deserve the "terrorist" label).

The pathetic thing is though, so far it's looking like Trump's withdrawal isn't doing anything to improve US-Turkish relations, so Trump threw the Kurds under the bus for nothing.

[Montmorency]

Since the YPG/YPJ are leftists I think they always knew the US are imperialist bastards, but the US started aiding them just when they were on the verge of getting destroyed by ISIS so they really had no choice but to accept the help, and afterwards they were reliant on US protection to avoid getting destroyed by Turkey.

I agree that the way Trump pulled out in order to make way for a Turkish invasion right after the SDF had dismantled some of their fortifications was especially treacherous, but it was expected that the US would turn its back on the YPG/YPJ eventually because Turkey is a much more important ally than a leftist militia with ties to a designated terrorist organization (not that I think the YPG/YPJ deserve the "terrorist" label).

The pathetic thing is though, so far it's looking like Trump's withdrawal isn't doing anything to improve US-Turkish relations, so Trump threw the Kurds under the bus for nothing.

The current running through American operators' accounts of Kurdish cooperation is striking though, in how they consistently emphasize the fidelity and enthusiasm of the Kurdish partners. It doesn't give the impression of a cynical alliance of convenience at all, but that the Kurds really believed in America, and going by the laudatory language used the American specops community loved them in turn. We know there are a lot of people around the world who, for better or worse, put a lot of stock in America's traditional national virtues.

Meanwhile, as the American detail extricates itself from a fresh warzone toward bases in Northern Iraq, Russians and Syrians are occupying abandoned American outposts (e.g Manbij).

"The Russians are in the American base in Manbij now, they helped escort the Americans out of the area and got their base in return," the SDF official said. "I think the Russians will move into all of the American bases in Syria soon."

https://twitter.com/Kyruer/status/1184018510835568641
https://twitter.com/jenanmoussa/stat...49840716996610

Wow, they're even in Raqqa. So long, the Kurdish experiment.

And of course, more Trump comments:

Why are we protecting Syria's land? Assad's not a friend of ours. Why are we protecting their land? And Syria also has a relationship with the Kurds, who by the way are no angels. OK? Who is an angel? There aren't too many around

"That has nothing to do with us," Mr. Trump said. "They've got a lot of sand over there ... There's a lot of sand they can play with."

[CrossLOPER]

"That has nothing to do with us," Mr. Trump said. "They've got a lot of sand over there ... There's a lot of sand they can play with."

At least it's not glass.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Any military folk of my acquaintance were always complimentary in their mentions of Kurds as fellow combatants. Their comments about other partners such as Iraqis and Afghanis was....less than glowing.

Trump is playing to a chunk of his base here, the ones with the old-style USA "isolationist" mentality. That part of his base would like us out of NATO, out of the UN, and more or less take the stance of bringing all military forces back to US sovereign territory. They tend to think that the rest of the world should be allowed to 'muck' off on its own. Not sure what Trump's personal thoughts are on this issue, but then again I think the cornerstone of his view of foreign policy is that he, the great deal maker, can solve anything -- even though he doesn't know crap over shinola about it.

[Montmorency]

Any military folk of my acquaintance were always complimentary in their mentions of Kurds as fellow combatants. Their comments about other partners such as Iraqis and Afghanis was....less than glowing.

Trump is playing to a chunk of his base here, the ones with the old-style USA "isolationist" mentality. That part of his base would like us out of NATO, out of the UN, and more or less take the stance of bringing all military forces back to US sovereign territory. They tend to think that the rest of the world should be allowed to 'muck' off on its own. Not sure what Trump's personal thoughts are on this issue, but then again I think the cornerstone of his view of foreign policy is that he, the great deal maker, can solve anything -- even though he doesn't know crap over shinola about it.

If it were playing to the named base he wouldn't be sending more troops to Saudi Arabia than he is removing from Syria (and who aren't even coming back stateside yet, just redeploying to Iraq).

Smart money maintains that Trump is not playing to anyone because he has no coherent strategy, he's either a stupid coward who got played by Erdogan or he's a stupid venal coward who got played by Erdogan to keep the checks from his Istanbul towers flowing.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Agree as to no coherent strategy.

Troops to Saudi are easy. The media is not interested so Trump can prop up the Saud family even more than the last three occupants.


If incompetence at foreign policy were impeachable, he'd have been out of office for a year or more already.

[Montmorency]

If incompetence at foreign policy were impeachable, he'd have been out of office for a year or more already.

By that theory nothing Trump does is impeachable so long as he is not in fact impeached!

That's some catch there.


EDIT: Holy crap, the US today gave Turkey everything it wanted and is enabling it to ethnically cleanse Northern Syria in peace (almost verbatim from Trump's words). My pop culture reference stock fails me, but this is diabolical.

What Turkey is getting now is they are not going to have to kill millions of people.

The infamous letter he had sent to "tough man" Erdogan the previous day to achieve peace in our time.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Montmorency]

Agree as to no coherent strategy.

Troops to Saudi are easy. The media is not interested so Trump can prop up the Saud family even more than the last three occupants.


If incompetence at foreign policy were impeachable, he'd have been out of office for a year or more already.

As I thought, it is confirmed that US troops withdrew from Syria only to be redeployed to Iraq to "continue operations against the Islamic State group" and "to protect the oil fields."

Meanwhile, an update on the reinforcements to Saudi Arabia:

"Secretary Esper informed Saudi Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Muhammad bin Salman this morning of the additional troop deployment to assure and enhance the defense of Saudi Arabia," Chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathon Hoffman said in a statement Friday. "Taken together with other deployments, this constitutes an additional 3,000 forces that have been extended or authorized within the last month."
The US has increased the deployment of forces in the region by 14,000 since May.

So in light of a deliberate decision to withhold available protection from Kurdish allies while abandoning US outposts built with taxpayer money to the Syrians and Russians, this Syrian business is indeed "Top 10 Anime Betrayals"-tier. All those who protested that Trump could not yet be the worst president in American history because he had not instigated a foreign policy catastrophe on par with the Iraq War will be monitoring the geopolitical consequences of this move for years ahead I'm sure.

Videos on Kurds not liking Americans so much anymore.