President Trump’s position on the Syrian War aims to further simplify matters. Turkey’s President Erdogan says he is worried about Turkey’s border with Syria, and President Trump sees an opportunity to contrast his own war, saying “we left troops behind only for the oil.”
In the context of US-Turkey relations, this seems very straightforward and avoids conflicts of interest. Admitting that the whole US war is for oil isn’t the panacea Trump thinks it is, however, and he’s running up against other US officials on this issue.
Lawmakers are couching the Syrian War as being about protecting the Kurds, while the Pentagon’s leadership sees it heavily built around fighting ISIS and continuing to work toward regime change in Syria. Some even suggest it’s about countering Russia.
Trump’s all-oil agenda directly contradicts everyone else, and gives the impression that the US is being deliberately evasive about its military agenda and where US foreign policy is going.
Trump’s comments may simply reflect his agenda and what he cares about in Syria, just the oil. At the same time, other top officials plainly see the legal complications to overtly looting oil during a military occupation, and are downplaying that matter hoping nothing ever comes of it, or that at the very least they can avoid culpability by making their role in the war something else.
a foreign policy without rhythm nor reason. the whole chain of command of the policy line is obstructed by the left-overs of the Obama era.
Trump could order them out tomorrow if that’s what he wanted.He chooses not to, and says what he thinks is okay by his base, which is “take their durned oil.”
Blame the whole mess on Obama, Jonny boi’, and ole’ hillary,,what a mess they created!!! However the oil tactic by Prez. may be brilliant! 🙂
As ” brilliant” as white phosphorus bombs…..
So will Trump still not be responsible after 2 terms as president? or will it still all be Obama’s fault…
Oil move isn’t brilliant… unless you are Trumps MIC masters in which case it did get Trump supporters to again back keeping troops in Syria….so I guess maybe it is brilliant… look at how Trumps 4-D chess fooled a bunch of fools…
“Trump Keeps Contradicting Trump on US Role in Syrian War”
Fixed.
I stopped listening to anything he says years ago now. He cannot be heard safely. He is a psyop.
It’s like trying to ignore the Kardashians, eventually you just know who they are, whether you wanted to or not. Like awareness rape or something.
The neocons never quit. Regime change and countering Russia are pure neocon. The Kurds were their tools, and are just an excuse used for the moment. If the Kurds trusted this, they’d be fools.
I fully agree, Mark. The Trotsjyists never quit Regime change and countering Russia are, indeed, pure Trotskyist .. The Kurds were, unfortunately, their tools, and are just an excuse used for the moment. If the Kurds did trust this, indeed, they’d be fools.
The “neocons” started as Jackson Democrats, and as such included Hillary. Many of them migrated to power, seeking to shape events among Republicans. However, they were always just Democratic hawks chasing the Main Chance, not the actual rich elite of the Old Republicans.
As soon as it seemed Hillary would regain the Imperial Throne, they mostly ran right back to her. A long series of written declarations of support for Her Interventionist were published before the election by classic neocons, including the Kagans who’d drafted up The Surge of Iraq in their own home over a weekend of brainstorming to keep control of the weak mind of Dubya.
Now they are in opposition to Trump. They want what they’ve always wanted, and use any means to get it. They are a threat, and actually a bigger threat than the Orange Bloviator himself, who is disgusting but mostly ineffectual.
If you check the background of Adan Schiff for example, you find a Democratic hawk who won a Republican district by being more right wing than the Republican who held it. He is willing to do anything for power and self promotion, and he has. Taking down Trump may be colorable as good, but it can be done in destructive ways done in pursuit of destructive purposes like war in Ukraine, and he’s willing to do that and anything else just to get and keep the power that neocons always sought.
the whole policy is in absolute ruins after the defeat in Syria and the establishment have no idea of what to do next
There is no “contradiction”, it’s all of the above.
And by holding the oil fields, the US is in the leverage position,
while the other players wrangle over the sands between them.
Amazing leadership and management skillz on full display, yet again. Is anyone on the same page about anything in this administration?
“gives the impression that the US is being deliberately evasive about its military agenda and where US foreign policy is going.”
Ya think?
Oh please this whole “Syria Oil” theme is to keep Trumps base on board. After 3 years, no wars were ended and no troops came home. Instead we have Trump “under siege” and not being allowed to get anything done. In the meantime the Military Industrial Complex rolls along, Corporate America continues to save fortunes on labor as the tax payers take care of welfare payments to immigrants. Trump campaigned on what was important to Americans, the scam was that his election was just a way to buy more time in order to marginalize us more, and it continues to work. I think most people are too afraid to see the reality. I voted for Trump (after not voting years) but I know when I’ve been had.
We are told Mr. Trump isn’t interested in Turkey’s border, nor in protecting Kurds. Only in protecting oil. If the oil gambit is a straw-man argument and he is “forced” to abandon that reasoning, then….there’s no reason at all to be there.