The US withdrawal in Syria changes so often that even close US allies, like France, can’t make heads or tails of what, exactly, the plan is. The plan involves at least removing some US troops from Syria.
After months of changing their mind, Russia might actually be getting
ahead of the US on this,with the first Russian warplanes sent out of
Syria and back to Russia this week. Russian MPs say that their active military role is nearing an end, because their mission is virtually complete.
While Russia is keen to see Syria retake the Idlib Province from
al-Qaeda, it does not appear to be such a high priority for Russia that
it would convince them to stay militarily involved in the war. They are
likely confident that Syria’s government, with no real threat to its
continued survival, can handle this much themselves.
This is starkly different from the US policy, where they recognized ISIS
was virtually defeated, announced a pullout, and then feverishly
backpedaled away from that on the grounds that they might come up with
other military goals in Syria.
US Plans Uncertain, But Russia Also Looks to Exit Syria
Russian warplanes start leaving Syria as war wraps up
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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