Making Sausage Out of Syria Policy

by Gary Sick Foreign policy, to paraphrase Bismarck, is like sausage: you’d rather not see it being made. In fact, even when the final results are not particularly appetizing, the foreign policy process gains nothing by being carried out in… Continue Reading

Media Worried US Won’t Occupy Syria Forever

by Gregory Shupak In December, President Donald Trump said that he planned to withdraw the US troops from Syria, which number between 2,000 and 4,000. Trump’s claim was widely condemned in corporate media, demonstrating the commentariat’s shared belief in American… Continue Reading

Pompeo in Cairo: Anti-Obama, Anti-Iran, and Little Else

by Paul R. Pillar Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a campaign speech in Cairo that seemed written to please an audience of one—President Donald Trump—along with the domestic political base to which Trump’s own rhetoric is designed to appeal.… Continue Reading

What Will Happen to U.S. Military Bases in Syria?

by Nick Turse The U.S. military is finally withdrawing (or not) from its base at al-Tanf. You know, the place that the Syrian government long claimed was a training ground for Islamic State (ISIS) fighters; the land corridor just inside… Continue Reading

Bolton Counters Syria Withdrawal, Hires Iran Hawk

by Ben Armbruster National Security Advisor John Bolton is bringing reinforcements into the White House to bolster his push for war with Iran, just weeks after Donald Trump announced U.S. troops will be leaving Syria. Iran hawks were furious with… Continue Reading