A US soldier sits atop an armoured vehicle during a demonstration by Syrian Kurds against Turkish threats next to a base for the US-led international coalition on the outskirts of Ras al-Ain town in Syria's Hasakeh province near the Turkish border on October 6, 2019. - US forces in Syria started pulling back today from Turkish border areas, opening the way for Ankara's threatened military invasion and heightening fears of a jihadist resurgence. DELIL SOULEIMAN
Lt. Gen. (ret.) David A. Deptula and Ari Cicurel, Defense News: Restoring US credibility in the Middle East
After 28 years of U.S. forces participating in continuous combat in the Middle East, it is not surprising that a popular consensus exists to reduce U.S. military presence in the region. President Trump used this perspective to defend his recent decision to withdraw from Syria, declaring that he is “bringing soldiers home.” However, withdrawing some number of American troops from the Middle East distracts from the larger question of how the U.S. can best achieve its strategic objectives. That question involves much more than a count of the number of pairs of U.S. soldiers’ boots on the ground.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- December 16, 2019
Does Russia Have Red Lines in Syria? -- Ali Demirdas, National Interest
There Was No 'Secret War on the Truth' in Afghanistan -- Jon Schroden, War On The Rocks
Tragedies of the Afghan war -- Manoj Kumar Mishra, Asia Times
China trade: what a 200-year crisis reveals -- Francesco Sisci, Asia Times
Europe Ensnared in a Web of Russian Spies -- Alla Hurska, Eurasia Daily Monitor
Boris Must Deliver for His New Voters in the North -- Ruth Sunderland, Daily Mail
Get Brexit Done? Be Careful What You Wish For. -- Peter Harris, National Interest
The Big, Untold Story of Impeachment? It’s Incredibly Popular. -- David A. Graham, The Atlantic
Impeachment Could End Badly -- Shadi Hamid, The Atlantic
The Space Force has gone from joke to reality -- Mark R. Whittington, The Hill
How Madrid talks fell short on climate ambition -- AP
