Rizwan Ghani
ORDERING withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria by Trump, to other parts of the country, is a step in right direction. He should follow the same policy in other parts of the world including Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Gulf. The money being spent on overseas armed forces can be used to fight poverty and support vulnerable back home under America First Policy. On Capitol Hill, the politicians and military establishment who don’t support Trump’s military policy are protecting their vested stake, perhaps. Trump needs money to run the country and cut taxes to keep his rich donor base for the next presidential election. It explains his domestic policy of penalizing immigrants without health insurance and using state funded services including social housing which are a drain on the national exchequer.
On the domestic front, the Democrats have failed to come up with strong counter policies to win the approval of the tax payers to support the weak, vulnerable and poor in need of state help. Democrat-led Congress under Pelosi has failed to come up with an alternate plan to support 56 million Americans without healthcare and millions caught in endless poverty due to low wages. Trump has used his executive powers to pass laws that have ended subsidized healthcare and other state benefits which were mostly benefiting poor, old, retired, low paid workers, poor and vulnerable. Based on local politics, the criticism of Trump’s bold Syria policy is unfounded and mostly coming from parts of Washington which he always calls as cesspool of corruption and promises to drain it. With 2020 presidential election, Trump will do everything to win the support of his base, win undecided voters and broaden his vote base. Troop withdrawal, making America rich, cutting expenses, reducing budget deficit will be on top of his agenda.
The number of troops being relocated in Syria tell a different story. Reportedly less than 1000 troops are being taken out of harms way in northern Syria as Turkish forces enter Syria. The rumpus in Washington is at best political and phony. In the US, the criticism of US troop withdrawal (in fact a relocation) in Syria is a win-win both for Republicans and Democrats election campaigns. It is showing America that Trump has fulfilled his promise of bringing home American troops stuck in endless and useless wars. It is a master stroke of Trump that by moving a handful of troops he has gained upper hand in domestic politics, successfully challenged the military establishment and deep state. By promising to support the NASA Mars, Moon projects and introducing military element in space has taken the sting out of president being less patriotic that often tied the hands of his predecessors who wanted to end foreign wars and withdraw troops. Syria is just a pawn on the Trump’s domestic political chess board. Afghanistan is next. The history of such for-election decisions shows that things hardly change on ground. Erdogan is also playing a similar game of Turkey first. He needed an international platform to bolster his position back in Turkey which has taken a strong beating after ruling party candidates lost in Ankara and Istanbul. The EU is too occupied with Brexit and not ready to consider Turkey’s membership bid of Europe which has left Erdogan to look for alternates. The fears of human rights violations cannot be ignored and those found involved should be held accountable under local and international laws. UN has an important role to play to save lives and protect civilians. But amidst the western media criticism of both Trump and Erdogan on their Syria policy, things could be positive provided both leaders are sincere and Europe is ready to play its part also.
Erdogan can create buffer zone and relocate 3.6 million Syrians. But the real battle starts after that. The international community should help create border economic zones to allow refugees return to normal life (work, study and socialize). At the same time work with Damascus, Moscow, Washington and Brussels to help all power centers in Syria to have peace in the country so that people could return to normal life and in turn help restore peace in the region. A political settlement in Syria will help end the problem of immigrants to Europe otherwise Europe will have to deal with another Libya. Trump is right in saying that most difficult part of his job is to write condolence letters to the families of fallen troops (mostly poor) in foreign lands and blaming his predecessors for continuing the useless wars as part of status quo with the Establishment. Trump’s bold Syria policy may appear to be eyewash and a media stunt aimed for domestic politics but still it can have positive outcome if both leaders play their parts rightly. Trump can support world to keep an eye on Syria operation and Erdogan can use the buffer zone to create economic zones (like China, Russia and North Korea) to empower Syrians to return to normal life: a basic human right and give public on both sides of the border stake in keeping peace in the region. This can be used for Afghanistan also. The world, the UN and the EU need to support all America and Turkey in their efforts to help Syria return to a normal state to facilitate ordinary people, the weak and the vulnerable including women and children.
—The writer is senior political analyst based in Islamabad.
