....in 2020, the Democrats will have to clean up Trump’s foul ME mess, and GOP will pretend it’s the Democrats’ fault. How many US soldiers and civilians will die in the future as a result of Trump’s idiocy?
9
Right. Illegal occupation of a sovereign country is OK, because it increases US 'clout' there. What a demented logic.
5
I wish Trump had been in the convoy. He deserves to have a potato or two thrown at him for his stupid and dangerous decision to pull out of Syria. He deserves to feel the humiliation up close the way our soldiers are as they head to Iraq. It’s hard to see how America will be great again after all Trump has done to destroy our power and reputation in the world. Putin’s dreams are coming true.
8
Leaving Syria and abandoning the Kurds without a PLAN is why everyone criticized the president. Getting out of endless wars is the correct thing but doing it without thinking through what needs to be done for all sides is crazy.
The Kurds threw potatoes and rocks because they know our president doesn't have a clue. He acts without thinking and he listens to no one.
This is a metaphor for our president's
entire presidency. Hurling rocks and potatoes are what our president does best. For Trump hurling insults, throwing tantrums and lying incessantly are his sack of potatoes and rocks.
What an incompetent leader!
11
Just another button busting proud day in TrumpAmerica.
7
Waving the flag proudly while running. Not a good look.
10
Today, I have been calling every Republican Senator to ask them to put some constraints on Trump's international decisions. next
I told them that his action on Syria was dangerous, dishonorable and impulsive, and I'm terrified by what he might do next. America needs Republican Senators to impose some limits on him before he does even worse.
The Kurdish people died defeating ISIS for us; we can at least make a few phone calls for them.
This page has contact information for all of them,
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
9
Does anyone know what Trump is talking about when he keeps saying we have secured the oil?
7
I’ll bet the troops felt like throwing a few potatoes themselves. Unfortunately, it’s illegal to throw potatoes at the White House.
9
Let those who say America is the “greatest country on earth” see these images of potato bombardment.
9
I experience again the embarrassment and shame.
As a Vietnam veteran who served as a combat advisor to ARVN soldiers, I watched our cargo aircraft leaving our allies and their families on the tarmac at Tan Son Nhut. Those people were running trying to get onto already moving aircraft! Parents were holding up their children for someone to grab and rescue!
I watched our helicopters leaving our loyal friends and their families at the Saigon Embassy to face death or, at best, "re-education" at the hands of an enemy we had been mercilessly punishing with fire and steel for years. What mercy were they expecting when the sound of rotor blades faded into silence?
We are disgraced again. And demonstrated to be strategically stupid... again.
Instead of maintaining an alliance for the Kurds to protect the Syrian oil fields, we abandon our allies but leave an easily overrun token force on the defensive line? For oil?
Who's going to come to their aid when the enemy comes across the wire at them? No foreign national with any sense, thats for sure.
11
We shouldn’t be in the Middle East anyway all it brings us for decades now is a huge tax bill
2
I wish there were a way to convey to the Kurds that the American soldiers are not running away like rats. It is Donald Trump who is running away like a rat, a thief and the coward he is.
Although Donald Trump did not represent a majority of voters in the 2016 elections, and even less so today, he unfortunately is our rat in chief.
I truly feel sorry for the Americans who fought this war, those who lost their lives fighting this war, those families who lost love ones fighting this war, and the Kurds.
I will not feel one iota of sorrow when Donald Trump is removed from office.
9
" ...to prevent oil fields there from falling into the hands of the Islamic State". Is that the only thing trump considers worth fighting for? Never mind the perception that the U.S. is running away like rats, that they are quite literally betraying the Kurds who helped them, but put a precious oil field in there and THAT's worthwhile protecting? Really, really?
6
It may be sticks, stones and potatoes today and grenades, IEDS, and rockets tomorrow. There is no more anger than that resulting from betrayal, and Donald Trump has now put our troops at risk in his betrayal of the Kurds along with the security of our homeland.
6
How low are the Mighty Fallen.
3
Is it really up to the US to sort out differences between Middle Eastern players. Is that really a good reason to put the lives of young American men & women in danger. The rifts in the Middle East have been around since the 6th century, but how often do you see the major Middle Eastern powers get together to resolve them. Let Russia waste their men & women if they want; the underlying causes still aren't being addressed by the Arabs/Persians/Israelis themselves.
2
@Gary
Duh. It’s about oil.
3
Surely Gary you must be aware that the Kurds lost 11,000 men and women fighting ISIS. I know had they not made this sacrifice it would have resulted in more American deaths and would have brought that fight to our, and European shores, wreaking havoc and killing innocent people. How do you make up for the great loss of life, and the commitment made on America’s behalf. Here’s a thought - you don’t leave these people to be slaughtered, it’s unconscionable and it will come back to haunt us! Shame!!!
5
it's hard to even read this article about the Betrayal of our allies by our bone spur president. It makes a mockery of the death and effort by our troops for years and those who were our allies.
20
Esper’s considering a small contingent of forces to protect oil fields - seriously ?
11
We've only begun to see the terrible consequences of this irresponsible and, yes, treacherous move.
32
The Kurds weren't really throwing potatoes and rotten vegetables at American troops, they were throwing them at Donald Trump.
52
@Mark McIntyre -- Good point. And I'm sure the troops know it and don't hold it against the understandably upset Kurds. They know well who is the craven, draft-dodging and dictator-appeasing coward who betrayed our allies to be murdered by the dictator of Turkey and has put our country and its military to shame.
32
@Mark McIntyre ....you are right, but Trump’s voters don’t understand the symbolism.
5
These rebels aided by Turkey in their attack against the Kurds are the same rebels Obama sent weapons to in the Syrian civil war.
3
Actually, quite the opposite! Obama was very reluctant to send weapons to Syria, despite people like Lindsey Graham and John McCain urging him to do so, specifically because many of these groups had ties to terror groups.
Nobody rewrites history like a republican!
53
@Kris reluctance prior to action is not a defense. Reluctant as President Obama may have been, he did in fact support those rebels and he did send the troops into Syria.
5
@ Chris Perhaps the House should impeach Obama and have Trump crowned King.
3
Apparently, the Kurds didn't love us that much. Their "alliance" with the U.S. was always incidental anyway. They saw it as a way to increase the size of the territory that they controlled, something that Turkey, Syria and Iraq did not want.
Isn't there any region in the world that we can pull our military out of? Are we absolutely essential everywhere, even where we are decidedly not wanted? I doubt it. No wonder why we have so many enemies.
6
“To whom much is given, of him shall much be required”. It’s the burden of having moral and military leadership. Would you rather Russia or China carry that “burden”. Better to have troops stationed in Korea then have an all out war there.
Now that your guy Trump is in there, I guess we will find out.
17
@Practical Thoughts
I don't know how you would infer that Trump is "my guy." He isn't. I did not and will not vote for him. But liberals demand that troops be withdrawn all the time. Now liberals oppose it purely on political grounds. Yes, let Russia have Syria and let China have Afghanistan. They'll thrive or perish by doing so. The U.S. has major internal problems that we need to address. Need a list?
3
Alliances are always incidental, and they're always meant for mutual benefit. You think the Kurds joined us in our fight against ISIS and the Syrian dictator because they loved us and secretly wanted us to annex them? No, they had their own goals, some of which we happened to share.
6
He said American carnage in his inaugural speech. Here it is.
20
We haven’t won a war since Grenada so the Kurds are probably better without the US.
6
They better hold onto those potatoes.
1
Too bad the Middle East can't be explained in simple terms that Trump could understand. We have a president who would be incompetent as mayor of my little town in Oklahoma let alone leader of the world's super power.
24
Throwing stuff and insulting departing U.S. soldiers??
Now I am REALLY glad that we're pulling out.
1
@John You need to look at the big picture, I imagine that these people would be feeling betrayed and scared. Any semblance of a normal life would be very precarious at the present. As was said in an earlier comment, it is likely that these people are throwing potatoes at Trump, not the soldiers. The soldiers just happen to be present to take the flack. Trump who made the decision to withdraw without proper consultation with or explanation to the Kurdish people or the rest of the world for that matter.
3
@John — The Kurds are entitled to their anger. It’s a common reaction to betrayal. The idea that our actions should be met with either unquestioning acceptance or rousing applause is imperialist thought that should have no place in modern times. We need to own our decisions, especially if they are shortsighted and catastrophic.
The Kurds’ very existence is now in doubt, thanks to Trump.
6
@John The potatoes should be thrown at bone-spurs Trump.
3
Trump made a HUGE mistake ... he's now talking about compounding that mistake by keeping "just a handful" of our troops there "to protect the oil" ... and act as TARGETS for every isis, al-qaeda, tribal warlord and gunned up opportunist looking to kill our troops or make money ... worse, our troops essentially, DON'T HAVE ALLIES to back them up!
This is not going to go well ... and those weasels that keep making excuses for him, know it.
18
It’s long been said, “these colors don’t run” apparently not when 5 deferments Donnie who ran to a hack doctor in Jamaica, Queens is in charge. Corporal Bone Spurs ran true to form.
14
@doug
He had to run. Someone threw a potato at him.
2
@mja These are serious times so I needed the smile your comment put on my face. Thank you
2
The potato & rock throwing visuals will be this generation's "Evacuating Saigon", complete with pushing the Hueys over the side into the water as we're scuttling our own bases in Syria.
Those who don't know of the past.....
12
"President bone-spurs" is a coward. Our troops are retreating in the face of the enemy. Our word means nothing.
20
I would venture to bet that our leftist media staged and probably paid those people to throw stuff at our troops so they could get it on camera.
@John Gilday
Who cares what you would bet? no one.
2
Shame on trump, which he will never recognize but exists fare and wide outside his ego.
Blood on his hands, nothing will wash away.
5
the armed forces should go on strike.
1
So Putin solidifies his foothold in the Middle East while the American superpower retreats, pelted with rotten vegetables by the Kurds Trump betrayed. A day in infamy that will long be remembered, not only by the many enemies this administration has created but by the cowardly Republicans who enabled this sorry excuse for a president. Hang your head in shame, Lindsey Graham, and apologize to the ghost of John McCain.
11
Imagine the soldiers forced to go through this humiliating retreat. I feel disgust for trump on their behalf. This is terrible for morale. Trump can never excuse away his failure to have this planned out and coordinated with the Kurds.
Worst president.
Worst commander in chief.
Most corrupt executive.
Wretch factor 100%.
18
The Times reports this story as if we (the US) had some legitimate authority to be in Syria in the first place.
We did not enter Syria in "hot pursuit" of a force attacking our troops. It was our strategy all along to allow the Kurds and the Syrians to do the bitter ground fighting against ISIS. We provided air support, but they did the dying.
After ISIS was effectively destroyed and 11,000 supporters of ISIS were put in dentition camps, we sent in two combat brigades.
However, that "entering" of Syria with combat forces was an act of war for which we had neither congressional authority or any authority under international law.
By skipping over this necessary step to deployment of combat forces the NYTimes is furthering the erosion of the constitutional balance between the executive and legislative branches.
The founders were clear. They placed the declaration of war in the hands of the branch of government that was (at least then) closest to the people.
If we were called upon to kill, die and pay for wars, then we needed to know that they were necessary to the defense of our country.
Neither the president nor congress has made a compelling case that occupying parts of Syria is in America's interests.
The Times needs to back up a bit and explain to the American people how this happened.
We hear a lot about Trump's over reach of executive authority in other areas. It's time to apply the same standards to a presidents war powers.
2
The Europeans should move into Syria. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to do the right thing. I would love to see the EU flag waving in northern Syria.
American troops should be happy that residents are only hurling potatoes at them after what we did to them.
Syria was an imperfect but prosperous, multiethnic and secular sovereign state.
Then Obama, Biden and Hillary decided to overthrow the sovereign, elected, internationally recognized government of Syria, yet another attempted regime change disaster (on the heels of their complete destruction of Libya), betraying the people of Syria in order to support regime change and expand American power.
Obama's CIA used training bases in Jordan and Turkey to funnel arms, money and fighters to a wide variety of jihadist groups from Al Qaeda and ISIS, to the treacherous Kurds, the justification being that they were the most effective fighters against Syrian government troops.
Can anyone really pretend that US involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria etc. has made the situation better?
The US helped create a tremendous amount of ungoverned territory for so many different factions to vent their hate and violence, and the Kurds have helped create the human disaster in the area.
According to international law established after the Nuremberg Trials our Syria adventure is a war crime. The soldiers who participated in it are part of the problem. The Nuremberg defense of "I was just following orders" doesn’t apply when you are taking part in a war crime.
They should all be very grateful that they are only having potatoes hurled at them.
2
All of us, the troops and the Kurds were safer with the status quo before Trump's withdrawal. To effect positive change in the Middle East, as our exceptional military understands, involves changing hearts and minds, and enabling a stable enough environment for education and safety to flourish; a process that will take decades if not hundreds of years. The impossibly dangerous, heavy lifting of expelling entrenched Isis fighter from their "caliphate's" captured cities had been accomplished, albeit with the Kurds bearing the deadliest part of the burden. The small number of US soldiers that remained in the area were enabling normalcy and society to take root, while being much less often killed or injured themselves. In this part of the world in particular, we don't accomplish or win anything lasting by winning battles, declaring wars over and leaving the stage. A thoughtful, wise leader needs to think 20 moves ahead, like a chess grand master, not 2 minutes ahead of his next tweet. It is just so sad, and such a horrible waste, to have a leader like Trump. We will be paying for his ignorance in blood and treasure in the not too distant future.
5
This impulsive and non-strategic move to withdraw from the world arena not only unravels everything my ancestors, as patriots and veterans, stood for since before the Revolutionary War, but rolls back everything that FDR implemented. It is cowardice and signals to the world that we are in retreat, opening us up to another 9/11 or worse and tells our allies we are unfaithful partners.
7
Used to be our troops got cheering throngs and roses strewn in their path, as thanks from a grateful population.
Under Trump, they get rocks, potatoes, and yells of “Liar.”
I cannot imagine the hit that morale has taken on these troops by this feckless leader Trump. The civilians don’t know and don’t care that our military does not agree with this decision. All they know is they’re being abandoned to possible genocide, after being our ally for years.
Is there a better radicalization recruitment tool than that? We will be reaping the whirlwind of this action for years to come.
10
My guess is that when Trump is finally forced to leave the White House, the Secret Service will be taking him out the back door in the middle of the night to avoid the potatoes.
Too bad, I like potatoes.
8
Trump is leaving because Putin wants him to. Trump is transactional and doesn't do things for people who don't do things for him. He gave Putin this present. So what was the transaction?
6
How will we ever regain a modicum of respect from any of our former allies?
It will take decades to undo the damage Trump has brought.
14
The locals' treatment of our soldiers, who have fought and were willing to die for their freedom, only underscores a point we should've seen a long time ago in the Middle East: this is someone else's fight. The argument that we should stay simply because we've already been involved for extended periods of time could be use ad infinitum to justify American blood and taxpayer dollars wasted on a lost cause.
8
No. This just tells other countries that the USA is on their own to fight terrorism. Why trust us.
8
@Jeff
Check your facts. They did the fighting. We there them to Erdogan's dogs without the courtesy of even a warning. By Twitter for God's sake. I feel like throwing potatoes.
8
@Jeff Wherever there is oil, it is not someone else's fight. Should we also end foreign aid to Egypt. Israel, Saudi Arabia?
3
The pictures are really embarrassing, with this sudden decision, looks like we were defeated and now running away.
22
President Trump announces our troops stationed in Syria are "coming home". Thus proving his commitment to put an end to Americas "endless wars" by unilaterally withdrawing our forces from Syria and thereby leaving our Kurdish allies at the mercy of the Turks.
(Message sent, if you trust the USA and believe our promises, we will abandon you when the President has a mood swing)
Then, to no ones surprise Trump reverses that position and his Sec Def announces that instead of "coming home", troops will be redeployed to Iraq with ostensibly the same mission (fighting ISIS). (Message sent, this administration doesn't have clue what its doing)
Now we learn that troops will indeed stay in Syria to protect the oil. (Message sent, the USA will protect oil but let our allies be slaughtered)
Meanwhile, Trump orders 3,000 of our troops to Saudi Arabia. Reason given, the Saudi's are paying for them to be there. (Message sent, the USA military are now a mercenary force)
So i guess Trump is OK with endless wars that turn a profit.
I cant help thinking back to Trumps campaign speeches where he sought votes by asking "what have you got to lose"?
Answer;American honor and credibility. Admittedly, Trump posses neither trait so i guess he wont miss them now that they're gone.
47
Trump does Russia and Turkey’s bidding, as well as Saudi Arabia’s . The question is why and it is essential that we answer it.
23
Classic Trump. He has to undo everything Obama did. Obama won the war against ISIS. So it makes sense that Trump would want to undo that victory as well.
23
Its a real shame the Kurds don't have a big Oil Refinery in their hands.
That would be good for at least 3000 extra U.S Troops I hear, whilst the Kurds lose 1000 U.S Troops which won't stay for the sake of their Kurdish Allies , stability in the region and to prevent possible ISIS resurgence.
Potatoes just don't cut it versus Oil but for the Kurds , it was worth a try.
7
@Loomy They do. Kurds have been protecting oil refineries in Syria -and Iraq? along with US forces. Trump said today that the oil is 'secure'?
1
So there is a small contingent of US troops left there to keep the oil fields from falling into the hands of the wrong people. OK, whose hands are supposed to get the oil fields? Assad? Putin? Turkey?
9
We deserve it completely to have potatoes thrown. Sadly, the men in the trucks do not. They want to stay with their brothers.
13
Hurling potatoes at armed Americans? Good think they aren't actually in America because our police officers don't have a very good record against mortal threats, like potatoes.
6
To think that the awesome responsibility of US diplomatic and military power has fallen into the hands of a crooked real estate developer when it once belonged to Eisenhower, FDR, Lincoln, Washington...
34
Don’t worry. Trump probably figures there are very fine people on both sides.
7
Trump foreshadowed what is going to happen in his remarks earlier today.
He’s pulling small units out of the way of Erdogan (not out of the way of combat) in order to curry favor. He almost surely knew Erdogan would move immediately, if he wasn’t explicitly told. I don’t believe he’s doing it specifically to please Putin, but this kind of leadership is exactly what Putin wanted when his government thumbed the scales on the 2016 elections. Russian influence on the hearts and minds of our voting public resulted in a full win for Putin’s agenda.
This is not the big problem. The big problem is the destabilization of the region that will open the door for him to make a move to reverse his waning Republican support in Congress and the increased intensity of the impeachment. War.
Americans love a boogeyman. War has always been an effective unifier in America. Trump won’t blink, he won’t even think, if he’s gifted a chance to go to war.
Please, my fellow Republicans, purge this cancer, destroy this virus before lives are lost. Ideological wars are bad, economic wars are bad, but wars for personal vanity are sinister and Un-American.
10
The shame of this will never be washed away. Our troops, who risk their lives every day, have been reduced to mercenaries for Trump’s overlords, Putin and Erdogan, Meanwhile, American democracy and constitutional government are being strangled. Impeach and convict.
17
Obama put troops there in 2014 to help the Kurds fight ISIS, so of course DJT has to reverse anything to do with Obama.
20
This is trumps doing. Our troops did NOT want to abandon the Kurds. It’s understandable that they’re frightened. Trump must go! He must be forced not to be permitted to make these decisions without running it by Congress. I know, congress is “ruled” by the republicans. These impulsive decisions have already caused too many deaths. He gave the wrong people the power to destroy an entire groups of people, without giving it a second thought! He has done nothing to help the Kurds! All he’s doing is showing how inhumane he actually is! First he does that to OUR people, now he’s proving to the world how inhumane he is!
12
So much winning .... well, errrr ... for Russia, ISIS, Assad and Iran!
59
Lindsey Graham said today that he talked to trump this weekend and now fully understands why trump abandoned the Kurds. He says he now supports trump and that this might be the best thing this country ever did. Graham's "revelation" just happened to coincide with not so good polls from SC where he is running for reelection.
59
@stan - I think we should all start flooding Graham's mailbox and twitter account with photos of the Kurds.
9
Souldn't the retreating Americans be flying a white flag on their big beautiful trucks (best trucks in the world, of course) and not the stars and stripes?
39
@RNS
Oh God! If only you were engaged in hyperbole!
They should be flying white flags...and Air Force One needs a big yellow stripe painted around the fuselage.
As an American combat veteran I am humiliated personally and for my brothers and sisters at arms.
2
Potatoes are the new slippers.
40
Every thought of this withdrawal makes me hurl.
17
All those potatoes are virtually hurled to Trump’s face.
He deserves this humiliation, NOT the soldiers.
58
Trump says he wants to save money by withdrawing our troops & betraying our heroic allies. If Trump is so into saving money for us Americans, then why is he spending hundreds of millions of our tax dollars on golfing and lounging at his resorts? Trump spends nearly half his time lounging at his resorts at our expense! I'd much rather spend our tax dollars supporting our allies who are fighting & dying for us instead of wasting all our hard earned money on improving Trump's handicap! What a terrible waste of our money!
38
@simon simon - so true and I actually think it’s unconstitutional for Trump to stay there unless he pays all expenses including the cost of the secret service. Look at article II section 1 paragraph 7. It’s the lesser known emoluments clause that deals with presidential compensation (vs foreign money) and my reading of it says that no money federal or state can go to any Trump business while he’s president.
9
@simon simon Not to mention the hours of morning hours he wastes on his “throne” watching Fox and Friends and Tweeting his foreign policy.
10
@simon simon Not to mention that NONE of them are "coming home" as IQ45 said in his tweets while upping the numbers of our military going to Saudi Arabia.
9
Trump is not “leaning toward” anything but fast food and his TV remote.”
22
Today they throw potatoes in anger, tomorrow, it may be something far more explosive in revenge. What a very sad day for the U.S. and our remaining allies.
33
@John K it was a very sad day when Trump 'won' in Nov 2016. Are there any remaining allies? It's been a complete disaster for the United States since the day Trump took the office of President.
14
Can you imagine the righteous fury the GOP would inflict on a Democrat president, had they done this? But Trump does it, and most Republicans are meek and silent. Cowardice, incarnate.
Lost in all of this is how much of a plum Trump handed Putin in this withdrawal. Not that the US (at least the populace, anyway) wants the US to be in perpetual war in the region, but Trump's betrayal of the Kurds will be one of those infamous moments among many betrayals occurring in his service to Putin.
25
What a horrible thing for these young American men and women who have been working so hard for so many years. We owed them better than a hasty pull out and the abandonment of their efforts.
I hope when they vote next that they remember how they were toyed with by this President. And I hope they remember that their sworn oath to obey the President doesn't mean they can't vote for a better one.
24
How is it there was no internal push back for an ill advised unthinking policy disaster made impulsively by tweet? Was Madis the only one capable of saying no? Or the only one willing to resign instead of implementing this nonsensical order? Our military deserves a president who understands the importance of alliances and commitment to our word. Theirs and our security depend on it. I am ashamed of our country, that we permitted such a manifestly unprincipled and amoral president to lead and that we continue to do so. Our troops do not deserve potatoes. I suggest we send these potatoes where they belong, to the White House!!
17
You can’t expect Big Don to stand and fight with bone spurs for the Kurds who fought and died for American’s interests in defeating ISIS, can you? No you can’t, when Putin wants influence over that territory, Big Don abandons America’s friends.
16
I feel like throwing potatoes too!
22
When our retreat from Vietnam looks dignified by comparison, you know things are bad.
28
So much for Donald Trump's support of the military.
What a disaster. What a betrayal.
28
Please ladies and gentlemen! Do not cheer the Kurds pelting the American soldiers. Those soldiers endured hardships and lost lives so that the Kurds occupy 1/3 of Syria. One should expect some courtesy.
1
Interestingly, not one of the Democratic candidates in last weeks debate pledged to send US troops into Syria or to defend the Kurds. Nor did President Obama ever pledge to defend the Kurds. President Obama sent troops into Syria to defeat ISSI, mission accomplished. Bring our troops home.
5
Can Trump as the head of the the US military be held accountable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice? If a Captain or a General gave an order to put our troops in danger and ridicule he would be immediately charged for dereliction of duty and other crimes.
10
“All roads lead to Putin.”
29
Okay, Trump voters, this is all on you. Are you proud of yourselves? Are you proud that your "president" takes his orders directly from Putin? Are you proud that your "president" disavows intelligence gained from the FBI and CIA and states that he believes Putin over them?
Are you proud that your "president" has destroyed alliances with our western and NATO partners, alliances that took this country decades to create, and will take decades to restore?
And are you proud that your "president" has singlehandedly created this latest bloodbath in Syria, while walking away from an ally we had for decades? Are you proud to walk away from the Kurds, one of the few groups of people who have been consistent allies of ours, and who have fought alongside our soldiers?
Are you proud that your "president" has made our country an international laughing stock? Try traveling outside the U.S. for once. Everyone around the world is rightfully laughing at us.
Are you proud that your "president" has made our nation an international pariah and that we will have no one to turn to for help when at some point, we will surely need it?
None of this matters to you, does it? Because all you wanted was a president who parroted your racism, your bigotry, your xenophobia. But understand this. The rest of us know what you have done to our country. You have sacrificed this country's reputation, integrity, and its valuable alliances, just to satisfy your bigotry. This is who you are. Own it.
76
@Nicholas Rush Well said!
17
Not the military’s fault! POTUS’ poor planning.
8
Clearly, Trump takes orders from foreign dictators, while our Republican GOP stands there with their thumbs up their . . . . and dumb looks on their faces.
18
I'm no Trump fan, but I have to admit the lying, treasonous lunatic is an equal opportunity backstabber.
17
Of course it's betrayal, not only of the Kurds, but the USA. This helps Russia and ISIS not us. If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck it is a duck. In this case it walks, swims, and quacks like TREASON.
31
@George W
Add it to the on going list for impeachment.
12
Can you blame them? We’ll be luck if all they throw is fruit.
11
Too bad Trump isn't there for a potato...folks should send the white house a few.
15
@phil morse - I was wondering if we can legally mail a potato to Graham or Moscow Mitch without getting a knock on the door from the FBI.
1
We should be throwing potatoes at trump.
24
trump makes the russians look heroic again
17
Today it’s vegetables, tomorrow it’ll be hand grenades.
14
Makes the US look like weak and not committed ........again.
10
Shame on Donald Trump, shame on all of the GOP who support him, and shame on us.
26
All I can think is "These colors DID run."
Trump's decision to cut & run will hang as an albatross around the military for generations.
34
So sad! We are betraying our allies simply because we have an inept president, who makes a snap decision after a talk with Erdogan. Was all this just to please that strongman leader of Turkey?
22
No, it was so Erdogan would finance a Trump hotel in Istanbul. Don't forget Trump's only loyalty is to his (appearance of) asset value.
12
@MH
Yes. Remember, not only does Donald Trump have investments in Turkey - Turkey also has the tape of the Jamal Khashoggi murder, which if released would embarass Trump's Saudi Arabian buddy MBS.
10
What was the quid pro quo with Erdogan?
9
The Syrians are rightly condemn the US betrayal. But their rightful target is not the US military, who are undoubtedly ashamed of the orders they are obeying.
Pity the Syrian potatoes cannot reach the White House and Moscow Mitch and the Malignant, Obsequious, Republican Enablers.
26
Sure, protect the oil, never mind the people being killed!
24
There's no "accusing" about it, Trump DID betray our Ally, the Kurds! And now they're being slaughtered by Erogan, and all those thousands of ISIS fighters are free to regroup to attack them, and our troops in surround areas!
22
This administration abandoned the moral high ground years ago. Now it's abandoning actual ground as well—leaving the our Kurdish allies wide open to a bloody assault by the despot Erdogan, and allowing Israel's bitterest enemies a free hand in a neighboring country. And based on other Times reporting, it looks like we're abandoning the Afghan people as well, even though we swore we'd stick by them after driving out the Taliban. After this shameful debacle, why should any country ever believe our promises again?
13
It is now only a matter of time before someone throws a spud at His Perfect Wonder-fullness ,the Golden Tabernacle of all Masterful Wisdom.
8
Foreign policy is good and easy to win.
7
This is a far cry to how US troops were greeted as they marched through Europe in 1944-45. Some say that the US lost its soul in Vietnam. Endless wars have not helped.
8
I would never have thought it would come to this, but as I look at president Trump’s recent policy decisions (both domestic and foreign), I find myself quoting Vinnie Barbarino: “I’m sooo confused!”
Looking at one part of Trump's foreign policy:
Given that:
1. president Trump’s signature position is to bring our troops home from foreign wars
2. president Trump has declared ISIS completely defeated, and our troops are retreating from northern Syria so they can be brought home
3. This retreat seems to have been orchestrated to allow Turkey to invade Syria and obliterate our allies, the Kurds,
BUT:
1. Defense Secretary Esperanto (has he replaced Esper?) has stated that the troops retreating from Syria will NOT be coming home
2. In fact, Esperanto reports that the troops will be going to Iraq, where they will fight against the (according to president Trump) non-existent ISIS forces
3. Not only are the troops stationed in Syria not coming home, the Pentagon reports that an ADDITIONAL 1800 troops are being sent to Saudi Arabia
4. While the Kurds are evacuating the areas targeted by Turkey, does anyone in the Trump Administration know (or even care) where they will go?
I’m so confused. Are Esperanto and Trump on the same page? Will Esperanto soon be looking at the underside of the Trump bus as it rolls over him?
Maybe I should actually be quoting Roseanne Rosannadanna: “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. It’s always something.”
17
@Dan Stambor - to make things even more confusing, although Trump may have made reference to a "Defense Secretary Esperanto over the weekend, but the guy's name is actually Mark Esper.
Well, at least according to the New York Times ;-)
https://nyti.ms/2J52evy
2
With one capricious decision delivered in a phone call, Trump betrayed our allies the Kurds and gave a new lease of life to Erdogan’s diminishing political fortunes. Erdogan is stoking the fires of Turkish nationalism for all he’s worth and it is hardly surprising that he now speaks ominously of wanting nuclear capacity. With utter disregard for the consequences Trump opened “Pandora’s Box” in Syria and released more untold evils into this war torn region.
8
A small force of American soldiers may be kept in Syria to protect the oil fields. Protect oil fields instead of people who have been our allies? And this tells you all you need to know about Trump and his Republican enablers.
18
@DJY Do you want oil fields to fall in hands of ISIS so that they can fund their operations with them ? I suppose not.
There is a clear pattern here from the white house.. and no surprise with Trump having coveted middle easy oil for years now:
First he sends troops to the Saudi's to help protect Saudi oil fields.. now after his abrupt order to abandon Syrian operations.. the is going to leave 200 troops there to protect oil fields in Syria.
Note folks who say.. "yay.. he's pulling all our troops out of the middle east!"...... NO.. HE IS NOT.
He is actually adding troops to the region with his move to protect Saudi interests on Saudi soil... something you would think the Saudis would be able to do on their own considering the size of their military and the number of arms we let them have.
MAGA hat wearers need to stop drinking this guys cool-aid.
43
@Chuck It's often been said Americans learn geography from wars the US wages, as yet the US hasn't invaded Saudi Arabia, its location to many may well be a mystery.
4
The rebels being used by Turkey right now are the same rebels backed by Obama in their civil war against Assad.
3
I understand that kurds will hate the US....understandable. I hope they target their hatred toward those americans...trump, his seed; and his supporters. I have concern for the kurds,,not for trump or trumps. Kurdish people- your enemies are erdogan and and trump.
13
I have never been more embarrassed to be an American. U. S. Troops running away like cowards in tomato-splattered HumVees just rips me apart. How Republicans can idly stand by without doing a thing teaches me that indeed, your party is dying and that the rest of us will prevail and bring back humanity and dignity to our great nation.
P.S. no thanks to the (coward) GOP.
26
Trump's betrayal has unleashed rocks and potatoes now, but more deadly attacks cannot be ruled out. Trump has destroyed trust in our military by all who depend on it both our allies and our very homeland. Our national security has now been turned on its head and is now like every other institution Trump has touched become our national insecurity. It is a national disgrace that has put our military all over the world in harm's way as well as those of us here at home who depend upon them for our safety.
7
If the UN can create 'israel', why can't it create a kurd homeland? the political borders in the middle east are all completely arbitrary anyway, the result of euro colonialism and mismanagement.
21
Israel was "created" to get rid of the Jews of Europe, which none of the 'Democratic' post-WWII governments wanted, and to serve as a counterbalance to the newly independent Arab states with oil. The Zionists simply served as the travel agents for the anti-Semites. The on the other hand were cynically denied a Homeland by Churchill and the other colonial leaders interested in the oil. Today the Kurds are denied a Homeland as most are in Turkey, and Turkish nationalism will never surrender without a fight.
1
The Liar’s military could have done without the flag sticking out. Cowardness to begin with and then, a bit of arrogance when skipping town!
15
If Trump gets us out of the middle east he is getting my vote. He may be ignorant, uninformed and uninterested but he is standing up against those who think they know better who brought us Iran, Iraq, 9-11 and Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Boko Haram and on an on. And I spent three deployments there. Hillary got us in.......Trump can get us out. The corruption by the Sunnis and Kurds is no better than anywhere else in the mideast and the overpopulation, oppression of women, limited resources and conflict between the Shias, the allied Alawites and the radical Sunnis such as Saudi Arabia and ISIS and Turkey are not something the US should be involved in.
7
as
You’re wrong to state that “Hilary got us in”. The reality is that Bush committed large numbers of troops to Asia, to Afghanistan in response to 9/11 and to Iraq. These campaigns initiated under Republican Presidents not Hilary Clinton.
16
Note that he is increasing troops in Saudi Arabia. It’s a shell game meant to trick people into thinking he’s reducing US presence in the Middle East.
15
@as He's not getting anyone out. He's merely redeploying troops to Saudi Arabia, western Iraq, and the fringes of northern Syria that have oil—which matters more to Trump than brave allies who lost thousands in our cause. Hillary, for all her faults, didn't invade Iraq—that was W, who smashed the one counterweight to Iranian power in the region, and opened the way to ISIS by shattering the Iraqi central government without any clue as to how to restore it. Trump's ignorance exceeds the mistakes of the last two administrations combined. And see if you think it's not our problem when the revived ISIS Trump helped create starts attacking our homeland. And it will.
7
American power is in accelerating decline. This has been the case starting with its failure in the 1991 war against Iraq, and more so with the US defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US rulers have decided a war against Iran would be too much and would be a distraction from what they perceive as their main existential enemy--China. And so like Rome or Britain in their decline, the long retreat of imperial borders begins. Make no mistake this has nothing to do with Trump or "Peace." Trump just happened to be on watch when it became necessary. Despite the braying and howling the decision to withdraw from the Middle East is clearly bipartisan, and began under Obama. This is a redeployment to prepare for war against China to defend the profits of the Wall Street mobsters against the Beijing mobsters. It's up to us to prevent it.
4
What are we doing in Syria? We were not invited in. We invaded another country violating international law. Syria has a legitimate government that has international recognition. We had not business entering a sovereign country and trying to deny the legitimate government the use of its oil fields.
We may not like the current government but that does not give us the right to enter its sovereign territory. That was a breach of international law. If we want to fight the Syrians we should declare war and not try this stealth invasion.
10
Ottoman Turks killed thousands of Armenians in 1915 -- a genocide about which Hitler, in 1939, said "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" as a rationale for invading Poland.
Now, the Kurds, our stalwart allies against ISIS, face the same threat from Erdogan, as we abandon them.
46
@MGK Not wishing to sound supportive of Der Trumpf, but it should be noted that the Kurds were perhaps the most vicious of the participants in the Turkish genocide against the Armenians.
1
Donald Trump,has brought dishonor and disgrace to the United States military. This incompetent menace has to be impeached and removed as soon as possible if the United States is to have any credibility in the world.
84
NYT supported every previous withdrawal from the Middle East and should be ashamed to make this self-serving argument.
8
Actually, it is a Kurds supporting argument, people who are, or rather were, US allies I believe. I am wrong?
8
@Michael Livingston’s Surely you can comprehend that there is a good way and a bad way to do something like this. Trump has done it in the worst and most dangerous way imaginable.
25
@Michael Livingston’s
Please! This is about the way it was done, a cowardly act, creeping away on a midnight tweet to satiate a personal desire. Wonder what the kickback is?
11
you cant print what i think of trump. all roads lead to putin is the kindest thing i can think of. trump has humiliated us. tragic.
65
Trump did not withdraw troops from aboard, he just placed them at greater risk to carry out their operations. The man is a fool.
27
@Casual Observer As well as sent new troops to Saudi.
3
Western crusades have rarely ended well
12
MAGA people...I hope you are all happy with what our place in the world has become.
26
@Barry D. Lede, America — home to Hollywood and Disneyland and a way of life people around the world envy — not the world’s strong armed heavy. What a horrible reputation.
1
Ottoman Turks killed thousands of Armenians in 1915 -- a genocide about which Hitler, in 1939, said "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" as a rationale for invading Poland.
Now, the Kurds, our stalwart allies against ISIS, face the same threat from Erdogan, as we abandon them.
4
Oh look... the State Department gives up on Syria and now wants to illegally invade and occupy Lebanon.
See Today's Washington Post: "Syria is lost. Lets save Lebanon."
3
Trump making the military look like a bunch of losers in retreat (through no fault of the military itself). Must be so demoralizing to have to serve under a "Commander in Chief" that is so incompetent.
33
OK, let me get this straight. So we have to immediately exit Syria so quickly that we not only abandon the Kurds, we don't even take the time to clean out our installation(s) and remove all of the publicly funded weapons, vehicles, etc and take them with us. Nah, we just bomb it all so as not to fall into the wrong hands. Great use of taxpayer funded resources!
But wait, as we're leaving we realize there are some oil fields in the area, which we surely wouldn't want anyone to get access to, so no problem we'll leave a small force of 200 to protect the fields. Why worry about the Kurds when there are oil fields to protect. Who said anything about forever wars being an issue when we have future oil profits to be had.
And lastly, there's always the images of the American forces leaving the area as the Kurks and other civilians left behind throw rocks and potatoes at them reinforcing America's shame. So much for America being a reliable partner.
Are you kidding me? How stupid are the people running our government. Rise up America and vote in 2020 to walk these idiots out the door.
170
@A. Axelrod the problem is most of the alternative candidates are very bad too.
I was raised in a military household, Marines, you do not abandon the person next to you in the fox hole.
It is obvious Trump did not
26
@FV - Both my mother and father were Marines. I only heard four words growing up - "Don't lie, Semper Fi". Mom said over and over again that if your fellow soldier cries out Semper Fi on the field, you drop what you are doing and assist...even if it puts your own life in peril. No excuses, none.
Sound familiar?
2
I ask all you warmongers who were so quick to use the standard "these colors don't run" nonsense about Iraq and Afghanistan back with George B., what do you have to say about your savior now? If Obama or any Lib president pulled a stunt like this, you'd all be outraged.
45
@mrfreeze6
Sorry, Trump is orders of magnitude worse.
5
@mrfreeze6 Please read the Constitution. There are entirely different standards for Democratic and Republican presidents.
4
Go ahead, tread on me.
Not since Reagan turned tail and ran out of Beirut has the US humiliated itself so badly
1
Never thought I'd see an American president betray an ally and allow Erdogan to ethnically cleanse the Kurds.
17
The way Trump has the U.S. leaving Syria is thoughtless, hurting not only the Kurds but also our fellow NATO members. Of course, our standing in the world is driven down yet one more notch. I would be interested to know which large companies will be enriched by this action, and how much is paid back to Trump. Mercenaries like Blackwell or oil companies or Trump’s own hotels in Turkey? There has to be a way to make political leader’s enrichment schemes public.
9
Well, duh. Of course it’s a betrayal. What else could it be? As a U.S. citizen, I’m deeply ashamed, and I’m angry that, as an ordinary citizen, there is almost nothing I can do about it. I’ve already written my congressman and my senators, though I know that they already feel the same way I do. In fact, there’s only a little more that THEY can do about the situation.
It’s time to take to the streets, I guess. I demonstrated against the Viet Nam war, and against the Iraq war, and now it’s time to demonstrate again, to protest the betrayal of the Kurds; not with much hope of accomplishing anything, but maybe as a penance. Anybody know of any upcoming demonstrations in Washington? Because I’ll be there.
BTW, if anybody else wants to demonstrate here in Washington, you should know that the cops here are very nice and professional about the whole thing. They actually clear the streets for demonstrations and ride in motorcycles ahead of the crowd, which is really cool. And I’ll bet they feel the same about the betrayal of the Kurds as we do.
18
Trump will leave US troops behind to defend oil fields but not to protect the lives of the Kurds which fought alongside us.
"Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper confirmed on Monday that the United States was considering keeping a small force in northeastern Syria, alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, to prevent oil fields there from falling into the hands of the Islamic State."
13
@mrpisces
only 200?
1
Very very sad to see U.S. troops pulling out in a hasty retreat. I’m embarrassed at quitting and backing down to three dictators (Assad, Erdogan, Putin). I won’t give up on democracy and believe it shouldn’t be in retreat. Same as the Kurds.
6
Crazy people have risen to power all through history.
What is it in humans that can’t see this self destructive pattern?
Those who fail to to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
9
I would like President Trump to spell out, in detail, his world view and articulate policies showing the history, the present situation and the future envisioned after a proposed action.. and the price we and others ...not him...will have to pay....of course he can't do that. Tweets are nothing but a goofus statement.
I am ashamed of the capricious actions taken by a person who is my country's figurehead. I am ashamed of him.
8
This freelance president operating in massive ignorance, and little intelligence is taking us down a road any honest informed human being would immediately recognize as one giant domino row of bad decisions and worse action. What will it take for all patriot Americans to acknowledge and share accurate information?
It is Time for mainstream media to directly attack provable fake news rather than quote it, thus acquiescing to it. Next step, close FOX news.
5
thanks to Trump's policies we won and destroyed Isis unlike his predecessor which merely prolonged an endless war through indecision and confusion
Let it also be absolutely clear that the Democrat mob is in favor of keeping US troops in definitely in these no-win situations.
4
In delusional moments, I think of myself as “civilized,” in the sense that I suppress primal urges to kill other humans (or other animals), even when I feel unjustly provoked. Why, then, didn’t I think America’s •betrayal• of the Kurds who fought and died alongside American troops in Syria was a “great day”?
If that was “a great day for civilization,” I don’t want to be civilized.
5
Mr. Trump has put every America soldier at risk for the next decade or more. Who can trust American promises when we have a White House that will surrender our allies over a phone call and a tweet. Shame on Trump and the traitors that support him.
9
Things will worsen as Putin cashes in his chits. Trump will betray more allies, our country, and start more crises. Trump may even directly, and openly ally himself with Putin. I feel that's his aim, and who will stop him? The Nuclear Codes may already be in Putin's hands. Outrageous? Trump is beneath contempt, and his stupidity, greed and corruption knows no bounds. When Trump was elected I warned acquaintances that this would be worse than any of them imagined, and they vigorously disagreed with me. They voiced: "there are checks and balances in the system" now they're shaking in their shoes, as they see an enabling, cowardly Republican party, a weak Democratic party, a bought, corrupt Supreme Court, and Trump unchecked, and acquiring more power. I hope I'm wrong.
6
The “home of the brave” has devolved into some sort of home.
7
The potato video makes me weep with shame and rage. Trump has finally done it. He's finally managed to put a permanent stain on American honor.
40
@Barry Schreibman The Obama administration was funding the same rebels that Turkey is now using against the Kurds.
1
Care to comment on Mi lai, or prison camps in Iraq? The stain is not new.
Shameful how the same people that never supported our military overseas are now shedding crocodile tears for them.
@tmauel Butter emails.
1
Clearly, Trump doesn't really care about " bringing our troops home." That is just a slogan to cover up for the fact that Trump has chosen to side with the murderous Saudis, rather than our allies in the fight against the ISIS terrorists. He demonstrated this by sending at least two thousand of our military forces to Saudi Arabia, at the same time that he pulled our forces out of northern Syria, abandoning our Kurdish allies. Are these ignorant and corrupt decisions, taken without consultation with US military and diplomatic officials, really the actions that we want to have taken in our name?
16
If you think this is bad, wait until we withdraw from Afghanistan.
14
@Shoshon: Wait until we withdraw from Europe. Why protect people we have tariffs against, eh?
3
Under Trump, it seems, these colors do run.
43
Isn't that the national agenda of new Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin's fond hope, a dream that he lives day and night? Boot the US out of the Middle East, country after country, and fill the void with Russian troops.
Today's Washington Post has an interesting op-ed piece listing what's currently Up and what is Down. To that list, we can now safely add that Russia's Putin is Up, American Trump is Down.
A wise leader representing a country half the size of US in population and way down in economic power, enlarges his country's sphere of influence, while an inept, idiotic leader squanders away his enormous inheritance in terms of alliances and influence that a countless number of dedicated US military and diplomatic officials had gathered over decades at an enormous cost of men and money.
Talk of Return of the Prodigal!
The markings of an unmatched genius with an unmatched record of bankrupting hard to bankrupt such money cows as gambling casinos. That is a line of business whose logarithms are designed to ensure that It Never Loses Money.
8
Trump has given every dictator what they want by cutting and running, sending sad, third grade love notes and trying unsuccessfully to tickle their hands.
Our country’s image has been sold down the river for a couple of angry red hats. This is one the ugliest versions of the United States to ever refuse to look itself in the face in the mirror.
History will not be kind to these regressions engineered by one of the most amoral real estate developers in the world.
22
Imagining myself a U.S. soldier today somewhere in the Middle East or a young person in this country now contemplating military service, I have a hard time imagining any of them heartened by the prospect of being shuffled around like a pawn on a chessboard by a no-nothing ignoramus like Trump.
14
@A. Stanton, rather they would aspire to be only something to be placed in between to take a bullet the Kurds and Turkey in their long historic struggle? A rallying cry almost as resounding as “Remember the Maine.”
1
Trump is deliberately ruining the USA while the whole world watches and the worst of Americans cheer him on.
9
Exactly. That sums up these horrible 1000 days of his illegitimate presidency perfectly.
1
Apparently 'these colors DO run'.
7
No one in the US cares. They feign "concern" because it makes for a nice image, and they love to wrap themselves in their false flag "righteous anger", but they'll never lose a single second of sleep over those deaths or betrayals.
Decades of brutal, US-led imperialist wars throughout the Middle East and Africa created the circumstances where numerous indigenous populations need to be commiserated, not only the Kurds.
Needless misadventures instigated by a cabal of warmongers who knew that their policies would result in death, destruction, and chaos. Now many of these same monsters are concerned about the safety of the Kurds.
Please.
What about the Iraqis, Yemenis, Somalis, Libyans, Palestinians, Syrians, etc. or the millions displaced throughout Europe because OUR government decided that they knew better than the local "savages" who needs to run their countries?
Syrian Kurds should have known the moment their leaders accepted US arms and cash they would be sacrificed when a regional power was able to exert its power in the region when the civil war concluded.
Apparently, the civilian leader in charge of the military can be impeached for removing troops that are illegally occupying a sovereign nation and denounced by the military brass he's supposed to be in charge of. But starting wars, invading sovereign nations, murdering civilians and violating the most basic tenets of humanity are not only okay but encouraged.
The insanity of the bourgeois political order.
9
Trump will get the war he wants.
3
Trump has disgraced our military.
12
This is the same thing we have done to multiple partners in the past. The South Vietnamese are a perfect example, when we left, they were hung out to dry. I feel sorry for the troops who were working with our partners when our President decided to follow his lifelong pattern and double cross his partners.
The thing is, if you are just a businessman, such a double cross is just slimy. When you are President, such actions as Syria and Ukraine could amount to Treason. The penalty for Treason during a time of war dose not stop at jail.
7
@Bruce1253
No, I disagree. When you are a business person doing things like this, there's a good chance you'll be out of business.
1
@Rick Tornello
It didn't seem to stop Trump. Six bankruptcies and a consent decree to shutdown his foundation for shady practices haven't slowed him down a bit.
Being found guilty of Treason may be a different story however.
1
Trump, the Great Betrayer.
Seriously.
13
Americans running away like rats. So much winning. Are we great yet?
17
This infamy will be remembered forever. We are all painted with the corruption and cowardice of Trump. Just another installment in the ongoing payments for the 2016 election fraud.
9
America is becoming greater and greater with every moment ... as Vladimir smiles upon his Puppet.
7
The video of the US military trucks being pelted by civilians with rocks and potatoes is shocking. This is how my country is viewed by the rest of the world. And I can understand why, being faced with mass relocation and perhaps ethnic cleansing. I am so ashamed
6
This is heartbreaking. America now stands for betrayal. This will unleash ISIS, which had been so greatly diminished, into the world once more. We are all less safe.
We have a corrupt, incompetent fool in the Oval Office who thinks he knows more about any and every topic than all of the experts combined. It is delusional and dangerous, as we are now watching.
Donald will be remembered for the great destruction he has caused and for the resurgence of ISIS.
12
We can protect oil fields but not people? Today I am ashamed to be an American.
77
Who would have thought we would flee from advancing Turkish troops with our tails between their legs like weaklings? Romney is so right about this one. It’s a disgrace. I feel so sorry for our proud military men and women in the situation of being forced to turn their backs on allies and run away from punks. Now we find out about the secret drawdown in Afghanistan. And Republicans everywhere still cheer this president who is undermining our nation’s strength left and right.
It us time for street protests. Make America PROUD again.
26
@Ed Pittsburgh You know Turkey is an ally, right?
This is going to leave a mark.
Whatever happened to "these colors do not run?"
10
It’s really hard to watch this.
What Trump has done to America is...I cannot even find the words.
53
Not unusual for commenters here, there is a lot of wailing and whimpering about Trump and how horrible it is for him to remove our troops from northern Syria.
But no better ideas.
Just a lot of childish rants.
What did you people expect, a permanent US presence in Syria ?
Did you expect that the Turks would just ignore the fact that we were morphing a temporary alliance, into a permanent alliance, with their enemies, the YPG (oh yes, the KURDS.... well WHICH Kurds ? In this case the militia element of the PKK...)
And to those ex-military who are groaning about this - well - yes, it appears to have been badly executed, I don't disagree. But this is based on what media outlets who hate Trump, have been telling us.
Better ask the right question: How long, and how many times, has Trump asked DOD for a plan and a schedule for an orderly withdrawal ?
The answer is not - zero.
5
@Objectivist Trump just told the World;"You are on your own". America First means America's word is worthless. The Big Picture:N Korea has more Nukes because of Trump. Turkey wants Nukes because of Trump. ISIS is back because of Trump. Far Away? Yes.But… but imagine a N Korean Sub off the coast of Manhattan armed with Nuclear tipped missiles;it is a real possibility. The World is not That big;and America First means America Alone.
6
The last shall be first.
1. The answer is in fact precisely zero. But nice try on pushing the hilarious notion that Trump, that clever minx, has simply been pushed to the wall by the Deep State.
2. I can imagine a flack for White Star Lines the day after the Titanic went down: “Well, yes, the lifeboat situation could have been handled better...”
3. Also nice try on blatting Erdogan’s exact line on the Kurds.
4. It’s always fun to watch Trumpists demand all the bennies and reject all the responsibilities.
5. It is rather less fun—in fact, it’s become quite tiresome—to see Trump and all the little Trumpists shriek about how everybody else shrieks, and bellow their strange little derangements at all us supposed TDS sufferers.
We kinda caught on to the whole Roy Cohn, “I know you are, but what I am?” bit a while back, you know.
2
After we de facto won the Korean war in 1953, President Truman, the Democrat, did nothing when 200,000 Chinese crossed the bridges into North Korea which caused untold suffering, torture and death to the allied forces, not to mention the North Korean people due to this, now, long lasting and ruthless dictatorship — and people today are criticizing President Trump for withdrawing 1,000 troops in an area that cannot be won? There’s a word for that but I’m not going to say it!
5
@William Perrigo
I'm not sure but I believe Truman did not listen to his China experts and was in a fashion caving to McCarthy.
1
We should never have been in Syria. It was illegal under domestic and Int’l law when Obama Incase’s and the same when Trump continued that policy for three years. Trump has botched the withdrawal but better botched than never.
6
Trump assured a Kurdish reporter just 12 months ago how he would be obligated to support the Kurds after ISIS was defeated:
“We do get along great with the Kurds. We’re trying to help them a lot. Don’t forget, that’s their territory. We have to help them. I want to help them. They fought with us. They died with us. They died. We lost tens of thousands of Kurds, died fighting ISIS. They died for us and with us. And for themselves. They died for themselves. They’re great people. And we have not forgotten. We don’t forget.”
(September 26, 2018 news conference)
Trump lies.
48
Oil, it is all about oil. Who cares about an entire Middle Eastern culture? Who cares about ethnic cleansing as long as Trump's Golden Calf is worshipped and bowed to by heinous greed? Let there be no mistake: Trump is complicit in the Turks attempt at genocide of the Kurdish people. He is abetting their obliteration. As of yet, I see no one coming to these people's aid. The United Nations, no where to be found as of yet. Perhaps, it will wait until half the population is killed before its conscience cures its paralysis. And this is not about protecting our troops and sending them home. They will be going from one bonfire to another, from Syria to Saudi Arabia. Trump has sold his soul, if he ever had one, to Putin, to Assad, to Erdogan, and MBS. Nice work, America.
9
Abandoning allies to secure oil. Peak America.
12
@NYCer in exile I do't think you understand the oil issue in Syria.
The US wants to keep the legitimate Syrian government from getting access to its oil fields as they believe it will help Assad finance projects in his country. Since we don't like Assad, we want to deny him the use of HIS OWN oil fields for fear it will strengthen his government.
@NYCer in exile You realize we’re self sufficient in oil, right?
1
@Jackson
Trump's roll back of vehicle fuel efficiency standards and similar environmental measures = more oil will be needed.
On a side note, why is Trump so obsessed with grabbing oilfields if oil is not needed - the unveiling of Trump Oil Inc.?
2
I'm 73 and served 5 years in the 60's-70's. I never thought I would see us tuck our tail and run for the exit. I wonder about the discussions going on in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Israel, and everywhere else we have allies. The Republican Party is now officially the spineless party on foreign affairs.
12
Thank you, NYT, for accurately describing this situation.
Other media outlets are parroting Trump's inaccurate statements about bringing the troops home when he's actually sending most of them to Iraq while still keeping some in Syria.
5
@Barbara T Moving the troops to Iraq is a military plan NOT Trump's plan.
Trump's clumsy and ignorant approach to foreign policy aside, I think commentators and politicians calling for a continued U.S. military presence in the religious, ethnic, political and tribal cauldron that is Syria (and several other spots around the world) must answer this question: Are the issues so vital to the security of our country that I would be willing to send my son, daughter or spouse to Syria and accept the risk that he or she may be killed or seriously wounded?
If those exhorting risky military ventures would be unwilling to accept the consequences please don't suggest other families ought to do so. We do not belong in Syria, Afghanistan or a dozen other countries where our nation's security is not threatened. And if the Russians want to fill the void I say "good luck."
2
@Nelson : It's HOW he did it, do you not understand? He's a stupid liar and he's failed - bigly. All roads lead to Putin for Trump. He's giving the dictator Erdogan everything he wanted and we got nothing. Some negotiator.
It's the 'how' and the 'why now' questions that are important. And he's not bringing the troops home. They're going to be guarding oil wells in Iraq and they are going to be mercenaries for Saudi Arabia.
He's stupid. And certainly not putting America 'first'.
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The potato bombardment over the shameful retreat of our troops scores yet another propaganda coup for Putin and will likely enhance ISIS recruiting prospects.
Trump’s dishonesty, incompetence and probable outright treachery are gifts that just keep on giving to adversaries worldwide, as he continually vents contempt for his own homeland.
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Trump's reasoning for removing troops from Northern Syria was to "get out of these endless wars, folks." So what does he do? He send them to Iraq, among the prototypical 'endless wars' that Trump allegedly wants to end. The damage done to the Kurds is already known; the damage to American prestige around the world is incalculable. In cozying up to Erdogan (and Putin), Trump threw America's international reputation under the bus. It's no wonder our forces were pelted with rotten food as they made their way to the Iraq border. This is what Trump's dastardly decision has wrought. What a total mess he's created.
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Exit indicates how America’s foreign policy is ill-equipped with regard to Syria.
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If only Kurds had built a Trump hotel our “president” wouldn’t have abandoned and betrayed them. Sad.
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Re: This morning's press briefing at the cabinet meeting.
President Trump asked where it is written that the US should remain in Syria "for the rest of civilization." He repeatedly stated that he has no obligation to protect the Kurds.
Immediately before that, however, Trump stated his primary objective: "We've secured the oil."
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@BrazosBard 11,000 dead Kurds fighting for us, dying so that our soldiers wouldn't have to. And he doesn't 'owe' them anything. But, by golly, we got the oil protected! Ethnic cleansing? Little children killed? Whatever.
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he 1923 Treaty of Lausanne defined the borders of the Turkish Republic but denied Kurdish dreams of a homeland called Kurdistan. Many Americans support the efforts of Kurdish separatists to carve a Kurdish homeland out of Turkey, Iraq and Syria, but that has never been U.S. foreign policy.
As Wall Street Journal columnist Holman W. Jenkins pointed out yesterday, “Turkey is an Article 5 NATO ally. We have obliged Ankara for two decades by designating its Kurdish separatists as terrorists. The U.S. has never advocated breaking up Syria (or Iraq, Iran or Turkey) to allow a Kurdish state. U.S. support for an autonomous Kurdish enclave in Iraq was dependent on the Kurds’ recognizing Baghdad’s sovereignty and not using Iraqi Kurdistan as a base to subvert neighboring states.”
At present,Turkey is attempting to create a buffer zone between its border and Turkish forces in Syria because Kurdish terror attacks have killed hundreds of Turks. The Kurds have now allied themselves with Syrian and Russian forces. The United States has brokered a temporary ceasefire.
The assertions that the U.S. intervene against a NATO ally in favor of Kurdish insurgents it has categorized as terrorists is absurd. The Kurdistan issue is best left to the United Nations to resolve.
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@William Case
Time to scrap The Treaty of Lausanne and revisit
The treaty os Sevres.
If we are going to be militarily engaged in another country, then let congress vote and approve of it. And take responsibility for the costs (monetary and life) and issues that go along with it.
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And you would want to risk your life or your children's lives with people who are throwing rocks at your convoy?
The real problem was the Treaty of Versailles and the territorial changes created by the Treaty. No sign of European Powers for a problem they created 100 years ago.
With that said, Trump is doing what Obama did with other Middle Eastern "situations" (Libya etc...). I do believe that Trump has actually done a better job internationally speaking than our 2 previous Presidents.
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@Steve -- The chronology does not start with a few understandably upset Kurds throwing rocks and potatoes at the US troops who are abandoning them to be murdered (under Trump's orders, which they must follow). The chronology starts with Trump's cowardly and sinister decision to comply with a brutal dictator's demand to betray the Kurds after a 10-year alliance in which the Kurds did everything America asked.
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@Chilawyer Your over-simplifying a complex issue which has existed for 100 years, caused by Imperial Europe post WWI. Obama along with Bush mishandled foreign affairs far more than Trump has. It's unfortunate for me to see a fellow American speak so poorly of our President - though far from perfect and not my choice, I've tried to support elected officials from both sides of the aisle and only criticize when I have all the facts.
Though I know we have worked with the Kurds post-9/11, they are not these "nice guys" who would give their shirts off their back for an American. They are shrewd fighters who like most people in that region have been victimized by over 100 years of mismanagement by the European powers.
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I’m reading an article in the Atlantic right now on Trump announcing last December that the US was withdrawing those 2000 troops from Syria.
Even then, the top brass saw the downsides: “it would create a power vacuum that would effectively cede the fractured Syrian state to Russia and Iran; it would abandon local allies to an uncertain fate; and it would encourage a diminished ISIS to keep fighting.”
Trump’s SecDef resigned immediately. General Votel, the commander of US Central Command, contradicted his Commander in Chief in public. Trump backed down.
So nothing here is a surprise to Trump. It must be a result he wanted, to hurt the US to please Russia and Erdogan.
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Now, no one can claim surprise when Trump demands or initiates the withdrawal of US forces from NATO-allowing the Russians a free hand to try to reenter Easst or perhaps Western Europe-just as they had desired in 1945.
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As usual the very stable genius makes a strategic decision because he is smarter than all the Generals. I mean isn’t this the victim of bone spurs who spent the night away dancing at Studio 54 while other Americans sacrificed their lives in Vietnam? I love reading opinions that rationalize Trumps decision making authority because he is the Imperial Apprentice
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We should never have been in the area to begin with.
The Kurds are mad at us because Obama and Biden made them believe that if they helped us out, we would give them that area of Syria for a country of their own. It’s a foreign land, it does not belong to us, we were never going to help them get a country of their own. At some point we were going to leave and Syria would retake what is rightfully theirs. So they are mad at us now as we broke one more promise that was broken by Obama and Biden.
Thanks Obama and Biden for another brilliant military move. And one more change people believed in and of course was a lie all along.
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@AutumnLeaf Getting rid of Assad will go as badly as getting rid of Sadam H.
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@AutumnLeaf Actually it was bush/chaney that got us into this area with the invasion of Iraq. there was no isis or Al Qudia (SP) in this area before then. Had we just taken care of Al Qudia (SP) and the Taliban in Afghanistan we wouldn't be in the situation we are in now.
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I suspect that you think Obama and Biden ordered this cowardly and dimwitted abandonment that will surely come back to bite us in the tailfeathers.
While you’re waitingfor that to happen so you can yell at Obama and Biden some more, might want to think a tad bit about what happens when you sell out allies who’ve taken thousands of casualties and encourage the likes of Putin, Erdogan, Assad, the Iranian government, and of course, ISIL
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All of Trump’s decisions are gifts to Putin, making Russia great again. MRGA.
Trump continually works against the interests of the United States, in actions that he claims are just a “difference of strategy” or opinion.
And Trump has, as his real personal attorney, Bill Barr who is actively working against our country and people.
Our allies are being abandoned in favor of new ties to Russia, and in service of other authoritarians around the world.
We are becoming part of a new “axis of evil”, created in Trump’s image.
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@Grove Still on the Russia thing? It was Obama who handed Putin the Crimea.
@Jackson
Try reading a few (old) newspapers or using the internet for what really happened. Nice try though.
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In the abandonment of the Kurds, we should never forget the tweet that describes Trump's gut policies: my great and matchless wisdom...
if this, his true stable genius belief that only he can do it, does not justify his delusion, his irrationality, and inability to discharge his duties as commander of anything, what more could he say that would convince republicans?
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The footage of Russian soldiers moving in to abandoned U.S. military camps in Syria was chilling and says it all... At what point did my fellow Americans on the other side of the isle decide that I, a moderate Democrat, am their sworn enemy out to destroy our country but Putin, KJU, Erdogan, and others are great, incredible, strong, admired? And how am I supposed to help them hear my voice when I am battling against the disinformation spread by these dictators with the consent of the facilitator-in-chief and his gop corps?
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so who are the allies, and who are the enemies. It is difficult to tell in the middle east. the soldiers in the convoy have no more interest helping the kurds.
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As a veteran. watching our troops pelted with food as they leave Kurdish territory is an all time low. I'm not angry, I'm embarrassed for my country and sorry for our deployed troops and the civilian Kurds, running away from the invaders..
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The question which hasn't been addressed in this article is: How much military equipment has been abandoned to fall into the hands of the Turks, Syrians, or ISIS? Remember what happened in Vietnam when we hurriedly departed.....tanks, munitions, communication equipment . Enough to equip an army!
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"Some Syrian Kurds" see withdrawal as a betrayal. The Times' excess of editorial caution is questionable. Certainly, most Kurds (all Kurds probably) including those in Iraq, see the President's decision as a betrayal.
Setting aside the moral horror of what the President has done (200 hundred murdered civilians and 170,000 refugees to date) this raises strategic questions. The President said he was bringing the troops home but they are going to Iraq, presumably for a good reason, to keep pressure on ISIS which received new life (how much no one knows) from our hasty withdrawal from Syria.
1) How will Iraqi Kurds, who also fought bravely and successfully against ISIS, receive our troops? The Kurds may trust our soldiers but they can't trust Trump. 2) What on earth impels the President to leave several hundred troops in Syria? He cut the trip wire; what good can putting a few good men and women in danger do now? The explanation is scummy; we can protect an oil field but not the Kurds 3) What will Erdogan, flushed with "success" in Syria do to the Iraqi Kurds? Try to carve out a buffer zone in northern Iraq?
After the Bay of Pigs, we welcomed Cuban refugees to the U.S.. When South Vietnam fell, we lifted Americans off the Embassy roof in Saigon, leaving behind Vietnamese allies; many found refuge here. I expect Speaker Pelosi will recognize our duty to establish a Kurdish refugee program; a number of Republicans, especially evangelicals, are likely to agree.
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@Frank McNeil I truly doubt a number of Republicans, especially evangelicals, are likely to agree.
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@Frank McNeil
It would be lovely if the Republicans and the evangelicals did agree to take in Kurdish refugees, but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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@Salix
Both you and Stephen Smith are probably correct but you never know until you try. I note that in earlier days, many evangelicals supported admitting large numbers of Vietnamese refugees, left behind at the fall of Saigon.
A contemporary reason: The Kurds, largely Sunni, harbor minority religions in their midst, specifically Christians, Yazidi and reportedly, a few Jews. It is not sccidental that Israelis are worried about the fate of the Kurds.
1
When is the last time our troops have been pelted by civilians that once respected us? For all the Republicans that stand by Trump here's what your legacy has brought our country. Tired of winning yet?
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The rebels supported by Turkey in this current fight are the same rebels the Obama administration supported in the Syrian civil war against Assad.
1
The sight of U.S. forces literally in a cut-and-run operation out of Syria that has betrayed our former allies the Kurds is the symbol of American weakness, betrayal, and now jeopardy as no ally can now trust or rely them. The dramatic push back by high-ranking retired military like that in these pages of Admiral William McRaven is so unusual in its stern and total rebuke to Donald Trump as a failed Commander-in-Chief as to leave one concerned about the military's willingness to obey Trump's orders and the very precariousness that Trump has placed them and our democracy in. In one ill-considered conversation Trump has severely damaged our national security and our military's ability to defend it.
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disclaimer: I in no way condoned Mr Trump's foreign policy tactics, rather I stated the necessity of abiding by international law to affect peace and combat terrorism.
2
@Paul Wortman As if Washington has any business intervening in Syria in the first place.
And the rebels backed by Turkey and attacking the Kurds are the same rebels Obama supplied arms for in the Syrian Civil war.
@Paul Wortman
I see Adm. McRaven comments as darker than that, very much darker.
I'm sure most people who comment here will decry the decision to withdraw troops from Syria. Wringing hands about abandoning an ally, casting the region into a state of war, etc. The real issue is whether or not it's appropriate to continue use of US troops to police the world's trouble spots. The policy began more than a century ago under the aegis of Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riding mentality. It has been US foreign policy ever since, but it now has outlasted its relevance. President Trump, reflecting the majority opinion of citizens in the majority of states is in the process of scaling back our presence in areas where we're not welcome such as Syria--a decision that is appropriate and within his powers as POTUS.
9
@Kenneth Cowan We are NOT decrying the decision in and of itself. We are extremely distraught over the way in which it is being done. BTW, the "we" I reference is myself and my husband, a retired Lt. Col., USMC, class of 1973, USNA, who has a lot to say, and the credentials to say it, about this debacle. Trump should have consulted his top military leaders and his seasoned diplomatic corps and then come up with a real plan and a reasonable timeline for withdrawal. The Kurds definitely should have been part of the process. We all want out of the endless ME wars that primarily Republican regimes have gotten us into, but there is a moral way to do it and a really immoral and cowardly way to do it. Of course, the latter option is the way Trump, a treasonous corrupt, narcissistic criminal with strong ties to Putin, would do it. He and his supporters really are deplorable.
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Ken it’s not the leaving, it’s the callous way in which we are leaving. Instead of doing the hard work of diplomacy to make sure the Kurds who are the brave soldiers that took down Isis for the USA are given a fair shake, tRump abandoned them. Trump is incapable of anything except that which benefits him and his grifter family. We now look weak and unreliable. Thanks minions.
17
@Kenneth Cowan I'm not sure a majority of Americans approve of the Trump is handling the withdrawal. The guy is "trusting his gut" and making rash decisions while making it abundantly clear that he has no understanding of how foreign policy works, nor any kind of coherent plan for extricating the US from the world stage. I'm not sure American can stay "First" in these circumstances, but whatever; I never thought Trump or his supporters aspired to diminish our role as a the number one superpower, but I don't see how that's avoidable now.
9
unilaterally violating Syria's sovereignty is illegal and radicalizing - and so we should withdraw and re-enter under the legality and legitimacy of a UN peacekeeping mission or a joint task force when / if Russia vetoes such renewed action. As for the threat ISIS poses to the United States, a homeland security/ law enforcement approach is the appropriate response as a diffused and ideological organization can operate wherever, whenever regardless of a territorial sanctuary.
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@Parker If what you say is true, it all should have been discussed with and approved by the cabinet and congress, not enacted in some cheeseburger fueled rush. Why are so many experienced voices against this? Why do our own soldiers feel that our allies are being betrayed?
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Sure, no doubts that Russia will be in favor of a UN peacekeeping operation. And no doubts that Trump did this to enable multinational cooperation. That’s totally in line with the character.
3
You can argue committing troops was a mistake ( i stand very much for the material support to the Kurds), but the commitment was done, promise were made, and this betrayal will make the USA look even more of a joke.
Often any commited decision is better than flip flopping aimlessly.
8
This action is disgusting and a disgrace.
While I usually oppose deployment of the US military, to abandon allies is the worst.
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@PlayOn
"While I usually oppose deployment of the US military, to abandon allies is the worst."
Ridiculous.
US troops based in Syria are there without the consent of the government of Syria or a mandate from the UN. Their presence is a gross violation of international law.
They are also there in violation of US law since Congress ever authorized their deployment to Syria.
The US was not in Syria to fight ISIS or any other terrorist organization it was there to overthrow Assad.
In fact, the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel supported and funded ISIS.
The YPG Kurds allied with the US military.
It was Obama who initiated this alliance.
The YPG knew from the beginning that its relationship with Washington was temporary and transactional.
Kurds aren't our "ally". They are a mercenary force we pay to help in our regime change wars.
And if the Kurds ever get their homeland, will they then cleanse it of all none Kurd's?
Extrapolating from their militancy in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria, the Kurds appear to be ill served by their leaders, who are eager to fight and take arms from foreign outsiders in order to protect and expand their enclaves. Kurds fighting with the American invaders in Syria could only end badly for them, as was the case when they took US arms to oppose Saddam in Iraq.
Syrian Kurds should have known the moment their leaders accepted US arms and cash they would be sacrificed when a regional power was able to exert its power in the region when the civil war concluded.
2
@PlayOn Weren't you the same team that objected to US "interference" in the MidEast 10 years ago? How your tune has changed.
4
@PlayOn The US has a long(!) history of abandoning the Kurds:
https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/14/us-kurdish-relationship-history-syria-turkey-betrayal-kissinger/
as well as other allies.
5
The film of Kurds throwing potatoes at our troops is quite sad. It's also a bit frightening to think of our once revered nation slowly but so surely sinking.
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@Mford
I wonder how this will affect the recruitment goals of the military. . .
Few people are going to want to be a part of a military known for the sight of their receding backs.
21
@Tom Wait 11,000 Kurdish fighters lost their lives helping the USA battle ISIS - not exactly what you would call a "fair weathered ally".
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@Tom Wait
The Kurds are a fair weather ally???? No, that would be us - they helped us and now we are cutting and running on them without warning. And they are dying because of it. I think that's "painful lesson" enough - to never trust us again.
13
Trump.
A disaster.
Russia rushes into the space held by the U.S., Britain and France.
While Erdogan now feels free to grasp for the bomb.
And the IS re-emerges.
Republicans:
You need someone else.
Remove this man before you have no nation left to hold onto.
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@Joseph Bloe
"Russia rushes into the space."
Just like they rushed into Afghanistan in 1979. I wonder if this time it will work out any better for them.
"A great day for civilization"?
20
Our president treats foreign policy like a big Jenga game...He's removing a piece based on ignorance...he seems to think our troops "serve no purpose". So he has removed the piece and the whole structure comes crashing down...I guess we are finding out what that piece was doing there...Oops!
62
The disrespect and revulsion I have for Trump's cruel impulsiveness is paled by the enormous respect and adoration for our military, who, although appalled at Trump's abandonment of the Kurds, continue to do their jobs. They deserve a commander-in-chief who makes rational decisions and not treat them like mercenaries to do his bidding.
177
For reasons of his own, the subject of a lot of speculation, President Trump has decided to withdraw from a complicated conflict straddling Kurdish areas in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. His pal Erdogan, our supposed ally, sees the Kurds as terrorists threatening Turkey. The Kurds, our unique ally against ISIS in the area, feel we have abandoned them to Erdogan, so that relationship is trashed. Meanwhile, the Kurds are under attack... and our old nemesis Russia, and possibly everyone’s favorite bogey man, Iran, are poised to take advantage of the chaotic vacuum of Trump’s brilliant wake. Trump has provided a terrific opportunity for Erik Prince and his Hessians, or whatever he’s calling his armies for hire these days, to move in, possibly being paid by more than one of the interested parties. How much did Prince and the de Vos families have to promise to invest in Trump Organization and Kushner Company deals to make that happen? Oh, and what’s the going ransom on 50 US nukes in Turkey? We could stand to learn more about what’s going on behind the veil of international intrigue a la Trump.
66
Interesting thoughts..hoping the NYT can check out your theories.
5
Another prime example of Trump’s infinite wisdom to destroy; he has set in motion a path for more war, mass killings, destruction and has put the American military at risk. This is another addition to the countless number of horrific infractions this president and his administration have done since his presidency. The majority of the GOP who are responsible for neglecting their obligations and duties to the country are just as culpable as Trump for allowing this president to do as he pleases with no checks and balances. They all need to go.
In spite of all the events at home and abroad, his lies and filthy rhetoric, this President has the audacity to campaign for re-election.
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@A.A.F. "In spite of all the events at home and abroad, his lies and filthy rhetoric, this President has the audacity to campaign for re-election."
And congress has the audacity to let him.
6
@A.A.F.
He's been campaigning for re-election since he was "elected". That's the only thing he's good at!
3
Trump's spur of the moment decision to abandon the Kurds and let the Turks and Syrians back into those areas of NE Syria will resonate for years to come. He's severely undermined US credibility in the area, again. And he's put the nation and Europe at risk for future attacks from IS, AQ and others who will have a home base in Syria.
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@Blackstone -- Agree, but the "area" in which Trump has undermined US credibility consists of the entire World, allies, enemies, and neutrals alike. All know that a Trump-governed America cannot be trusted and a Trump-commanded military will cut and run out on an ally, as ordered by Trump as a favor to the dictators he not so secretly idolizes.
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@Blackstone Why did Osama Bin Ladin hate us -- one aspect is we abandoned them when fighting the USSR. Now we abandon the Kurds along the very same line.
What will the long-term outcome be for the Kurdish people - decades of deep set hatred for the ones who abandoned them? Every decision has a price. What will this decision cost our children 30 years from now?
Almost 4000 families know and now amount of money is compensation for those who died.
6