Is Trump’s Move To Pull U.S. Troops From Syria Really That Big A Surprise?
Wouldn’t It Be More One Of The Most Important Expressions Of A “Trump Doctrine” To Date?
Update: One day after the Syria announcement, Trump Tweets he’s letting his Defense Secretary go. Former four-star General Jim Mattis is resigning but will serve through the end of February. Also not a giant surprise except for the timing (In a recent 60 Minutes interview, Trump quipped “I think he’s sort of a Democrat”), but the move creates a world of uncertainty about who’s next up. Mattis, along with John Kelly have certainly numbered among the “grownups” surrounding Trump. And most of the many former Generals Trump brought into his administration at the beginning are now gone.
Update: Trump, Thursday morning: “Russia, Iran, Syria & many others are not happy about the U.S. leaving, despite what the Fake News says…” Putin, Thursday morning: “The right decision.”
Trump’s sudden move to remove 2,000 special forces stationed there (they’re mostly supporting Kurdish and Arab rebel forces) is bold and wildly risky, there’s little doubt about that.
Trump Tweeted his sudden decision was based entirely on the fact that the U.S. has “defeated” ISIS:
