The history of American retreats from the Middle East is no record to support withdrawing American troops from eastern Syria and Iraq. But the university-based echelon above reality never tires of urging retreat from enemies, reassuring us that all will be well.
Let's dig into this self-defeating nonsense, shall we?
The regional reverberations of the Israel-Gaza war demonstrate why the White House should scrap, not reinforce, America’s outdated and unnecessarily provocative troop presence in Syria and Iraq.
President Joe Biden should redeploy these forces to a safer position offshore and leave it to self-interested Syrians and Iraqis to prevent ISIS from reemerging. As Biden’s own policy on Afghanistan demonstrated — and as I observed on the ground earlier this fall — withdrawing U.S. soldiers and Marines can bolster American security by turning the fight against Islamic State over to well-motivated local belligerents while freeing up U.S. personnel to serve in more vital areas.
Likewise, pivoting out of Syria and Iraq will not make Americans any less safe, but it will deny local militias, and their presumptive patrons in Iran, the chance to use unneeded outposts for leverage over our national strategy.
The author basically argues we aren't keeping the peace with our presence.
Well, duh. The issue isn't whether we are keeping the peace when brutal enemies still roam the region. The issue is whether we can help local allies defeat local enemies and have hope things can be maneuvered into a better state while preventing the situation from getting worse.
Let me just focus on the excerpts quoted above that set the stage for his confidence that unicorns will frolic without the poisonous effects of America's small military presence on the ground.
There is no causal link given between the war in Gaza and withdrawing American troops. Is Iran supporting Hamas and local enemies in Syria and Iraq? Yes. That seems more of a reason to stay, no?
Contrary to the author's breezy confidence, self-interested Syrians need help to keep ISIL reasonably suppressed as the ISIL rising in 2014 demonstrated notwithstanding their self-interest. Also, Syria and Iran have motivation to support ISIL against the America-backed Iraqi government. How would basing our troops offshore help? What region is more important than the one we've fought three wars in to battle jihadis?
How does the author explain how the collapse of Iraq and the rise of ISIL across the Syria-Iraq border area following America's total withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 happen? How does the author explain why President Obama committed ground forces and embarked on Iraq War 2.0 and the Syrian expedition to back the Kurds and other self-interested locals getting slaughtered by ISIL? Where was the bolstered American security to convince the president not to re-enter the fight, eh? What on Earth did the author "observe" with that self-inflicted debacle?
And how would that mythical other region benefit from the small number of troops that would be freed up? More basically, how are our troops even freed up if they are supposed to be deployed to "safer positions offshore". Do we have a aquatic jihadi problem that ground troops must combat? Army troops? On Navy ships? Good grief, at least pretend that the brain synapses make occasional contact.
Using Afghanistan as a positive example for the great results of withdrawing is head-up-your-butt level of oblivious nonsense. Are the Taliban the "well-motivated local belligerents" who will combat other jihadis? Really? That's your story and you're sticking to it?
As to our well-armed and trained troops being hostage to Iran-supported local militias? Good God, our enemies should fear what we will do to them! Enduring attacks is a choice we are making--not a necessity.
Mind you, I worry that Americans wouldn't support casualties to maintain our positions in eastern Syria. Despite its role in shielding Iraq from Iranian-supported jihadi infiltration from Syria. Remember the suicide bomber "rat lines" during the Iraq War? When blocked inside Iraq with the Awakening the jihadis turned against Assad. We shouldn't want to open up the route and relieve the pressure on Assad and his Iranian and Russian friends.
But Congress at least has validated our presence:
The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly voted down a bill 13-84 that would have required President Joe Biden to withdraw the roughly 900 troops stationed in Syria.So nobody can claim this was some kind of stealth deployment. But if we are staying, stay to defeat our enemies. Great power competition rightly attracts our attention, but the Global Troubles of keeping jihadis at bay must continue. Syria and Iraq are one front. Although it is complicated by also being a front in the struggle with Iran.
Lord, I'm woozy from the overdose of Stupid that clings to me like a fog that somehow rolled out from my computer screen.
Back in 1991 with my MA in history still giving off that new-car smell, I saw first-hand how far to the left academic history had fallen when I went to the American History Association's national convention. I dropped my membership shortly thereafter. How much farther has academia fallen since then if that author is an example of its prowess?
Forgive me. I like to have a higher ratio of dignified to rant. But I'm only human.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.
