WhatsappPotential Upsides
Caroline Glick explains that this US pullout from Syria actually has some upsides for Israel. Glick points out that when Obama placed US troops in Syria it was with a specific mandate to fight ISIS, but not touch Iranian forces, or Iranian proxy forces. As Obama’s deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told an audience of pro-Obama activists at the time, Obama viewed his embrace of Iran through nuclear talks as the central policy of his second term.
Since Sunni ISIS was perceived as hostile to Shi’ite Iran, by fighting ISIS, Obama was achieving two goals: He was helping Iran by getting rid of a powerful adversary in Iraq and Syria, and he was selling the idea to the American public that Iran was their ally in a common war against ISIS.
By leaving Syria, Glick says that the US, under President Trump, is abandoning Obama’s pro-Iranian policy once and for all. This also means the possibility that the US will finally be leaving the policy of supporting the Lebanese army, which Israel views today as a partner with Iran and Hizbullah.
A final upside. Some Americans use the American military presence in Syria or the Middle East as a way to create animosity towards Israel. They claim that US soldiers are in the region to help Israel, and when US soldiers die, it is Israel’s fault. So the removal of US troops will remove this false anti-Israel claim from the discourse.
The jury is still out about the consequences, but if handled correctly, this pullout can definitely have some upsides.
We just hope that without US forces, there will be forces out there to help protect the Kurds from the Turkey and Erdogan, who want to destroy them and any chance for the establishment of Kurdistan.
