Last updated on: 10/17/2019 10:50:40 AM PST
Should the US Have Withdrawn Troops from Northern Syria in Oct. 2019?
American troops allied with Syrian Kurdish forces to fight ISIS in northern Syria. About 1,000 US troops remained in Syria as of Sep. 2019. The White House announced on Oct. 6, 2019 that Turkey, a NATO ally, would be moving forward with a "long-planned operation into northern Syria" but that US forces would not be involved and "will no longer be in the immediate area."
Turkey launched a military incursion into northern Syria that US Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said resulted in "a potential ISIS resurgence, possible war crimes and a growing humanitarian crisis." On Oct. 14, 2019, President Trump stated, "As I have said, I am withdrawing the remaining United States service members from northeast Syria."
Sources:
Bassem Mroue, "US Troops and Allied Kurdish Force Patrol Syria-Turkey Border," militarytimes.com, Sep. 4, 2019
Jim Garamone, "Turkish Invasion of Syria Upends Possibility of Peace in Region," defense.gov, Oct. 15, 2019
Donald Trump, "Statement from President Donald J. Trump Regarding Turkey’s Actions in Northeast Syria," whitehouse.gov, Oct. 14, 2019
White House, "Statement from the Press Secretary," whitehouse.gov, Oct. 6, 2019
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"After defeating 100% of the ISIS Caliphate, I largely moved our troops out of Syria. Let Syria and Assad protect the Kurds and fight Turkey for their own land. I said to my Generals, why should we be fighting for Syria....
....and Assad to protect the land of our enemy? Anyone who wants to assist Syria in protecting the Kurds is good with me, whether it is Russia, China, or Napoleon Bonaparte. I hope they all do great, we are 7,000 miles away!
Some people want the United States to protect the 7,000 mile away Border of Syria, presided over by Bashar al-Assad, our enemy. At the same time, Syria and whoever they chose to help, wants naturally to protect the Kurds....
....I would much rather focus on our Southern Border which abuts and is part of the United States of America."
Source: Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Oct. 14, 2019
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Con (No)
Con
"Donald Trump sold out the Syrian Democratic Forces — the courageous Kurds and Arabs who fought with us to smash ISIS’s caliphate — and he betrayed a key local ally in the fight against terrorism. But that’s not all — he betrayed our brave troops, who sacrificed alongside them. He betrayed our word as a nation — raising doubts among our allies around the world about America’s security commitments. And he betrayed our security by green lighting a Turkish incursion that will create chaos and destruction, setting conditions for ISIS to regrow."
Source: Joe Biden, "Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on the Consequences of Donald Trump’s Decision to Remove Troops from Syria," medium.com, Oct. 10, 2019
Con
"This [a Turkish military offensive into Syria] was only a matter of 'when' after Trump's reckless decision to abruptly withdraw troops from Syria. We've completely abandoned our Kurdish allies—one of our most effective partners in fighting ISIS. Difficult to see how any of our allies can trust us after this betrayal."
Source: Cory Booker, Twitter.com, Oct. 9, 2019
[Editor's Note: Booker's above statement accompanied a retweet of an Oct.9, 2019 CNN Breaking News tweet that stated: "Turkey launches its military offensive into northeast Syria, Turkish President Erdogan says. The operation starts days after the Trump administration said it was pulling US troops back from the area."]
Con
"This president's shameful decision on Syria [to withdraw troops] is the latest example of chaos masquerading as foreign policy. It goes against all military advice. It harms our national interests, emboldens our adversaries, and it will cost lives. The world urgently needs real American leadership."
Source: Pete Buttigieg, Twitter.com, Oct. 7, 2019
Con
"Giving the green light to President Erdogan to slaughter our allies is wrong. The Kurds have stood with us in our fight against ISIS. They have been stalwarts and lost many of their people because of it. This is part of a deeper and disturbing pattern with this President. He stands with dictators instead of allies. He stands with Vladimir Putin over his own intelligence officers. He stands with murderers and thugs against innocents.
Once again this President has ignored the advice of our military, acted out of impulse, and thrown our foreign policy into chaos. This decision to abandon the Kurds does nothing but destabilize the region—by weakening the fight against extremism, exacerbating an existing humanitarian disaster, and demonstrating that America cannot be trusted to keep its commitments.
There are no more excuses for abandoning our allies."
Source: Amy Klobuchar, "Klobuchar Statement on Syria," klobuchar.senate.gov, Oct. 9, 2019
Con
"The crisis here... is when you begin to betray people, in terms of the Kurds, 11,000 of them died fighting ISIS, 20,000 were wounded. And the United States said, 'We're with you, we're standing with you.' And then suddenly, one day after a phone call with Erdogan, announced by tweet, Trump reverses that policy.
Now, you tell me what country in the world will trust the word of the president of the United States. In other words, what he has done is wreck our ability to do foreign policy, to do military policy, because nobody in the world will believe this pathological liar."
Source: The Fix Team, "The October Democratic Debate Transcript," washingtonpost.com, Oct. 15, 2019
Con
"So, look, I think that we ought to get out of the Middle East. I don't think we should have troops in the Middle East. But we have to do it the right way, the smart way.
What this president has done is that he has sucked up to dictators, he has made impulsive decisions that often his own team doesn't understand, he has cut and run on our allies, and he has enriched himself at the expense of the United States of America. In Syria, he has created a bigger-than-ever humanitarian crisis. He has helped ISIS get another foothold, a new lease on life...
We need to get out, but we need to do this through a negotiated solution. There is no military solution in this region."
Source: The Fix Team, "The October Democratic Debate Transcript," washingtonpost.com, Oct. 15, 2019
Con
"If we pull troops out of foreign theatres we should do so in a disciplined way in consultation with our allies. An abrupt move makes our commitments seem subject to change and unreliable."
Source: Andrew Yang, Twitter.com, Oct. 7, 2019
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FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
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Con (No)
Con
"This decision is a betrayal of our ally in the fight against ISIS and risks American lives. We have a president who is telling our allies and our adversaries that America doesn't keep her word."
Source: Kamala Harris, Twitter.com, Oct. 7, 2019
Con
"Trump will be responsible for these deaths."
Source: Beto O'Rourke, Twitter.com, Oct. 9, 2019
[Editor's Note: O'Rourke tweeted the above along with a link to an NBC News article titled "Turkey Launches Military Operation in Northeast Syria after U.S. Withdraws."]
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