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Trump adviser outlines conditions for US pullout from Syria

TU Curmudgeon

B.A. (Sarc), LLb. (Lex Sarcasus), PhD (Sarc.)
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From ABC News

Trump adviser outlines conditions for US pullout from Syria


President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday that the American military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State group and on Turkey assuring the safety of U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.

John Bolton said there is no timetable for the pullout, but insisted the military presence is not an unlimited commitment.

"There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem before heading to Turkey on Monday, where he will be joined by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. "The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."

Those conditions, he said, included defeating what's left of IS in Syria and protecting Kurdish militias who have fought alongside U.S. troops against the extremist group.

COMMENT:-

It appears that there are two absolutely non-negotiable conditions:


  1. the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) has to be defeated; and
  2. the terrorists that the US has been supporting (the Kurds) have to be protected from being attacked.

There should be no difficulty in meeting the first because the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) have already been defeated - Mr. Trump said so.

The second just might be a bit difficult to get America's partners in "The War on Terror" to agree to since they are likely to take the position that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist regardless of what the government of the United States of America says.

Since the two conditions are absolutely non-negotiable, that means that either the US troops are going to stay in Syria (which will all be the fault of Obama/Clinton and the Democrats) or something will happen to change Mr. Trump's mind (read as "someone on FOX News will say something uncomplimentary about the fact that American troops are still in Syria despite Mr. Trump saying that he was going to bring them all back home").

PS - What Mr. Boulton's statement amounts to is "We are going to keep our troops in Syria until we remove them." - which I can guarantee you is 100% true.
 
Uhm so actually no change to policy.
 
From ABC News

Trump adviser outlines conditions for US pullout from Syria


President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday that the American military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State group and on Turkey assuring the safety of U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.

John Bolton said there is no timetable for the pullout, but insisted the military presence is not an unlimited commitment.

"There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem before heading to Turkey on Monday, where he will be joined by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. "The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."

Those conditions, he said, included defeating what's left of IS in Syria and protecting Kurdish militias who have fought alongside U.S. troops against the extremist group.

COMMENT:-

It appears that there are two absolutely non-negotiable conditions:


  1. the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) has to be defeated; and
  2. the terrorists that the US has been supporting (the Kurds) have to be protected from being attacked.

There should be no difficulty in meeting the first because the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) have already been defeated - Mr. Trump said so.

The second just might be a bit difficult to get America's partners in "The War on Terror" to agree to since they are likely to take the position that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist regardless of what the government of the United States of America says.

Since the two conditions are absolutely non-negotiable, that means that either the US troops are going to stay in Syria (which will all be the fault of Obama/Clinton and the Democrats) or something will happen to change Mr. Trump's mind (read as "someone on FOX News will say something uncomplimentary about the fact that American troops are still in Syria despite Mr. Trump saying that he was going to bring them all back home").

PS - What Mr. Boulton's statement amounts to is "We are going to keep our troops in Syria until we remove them." - which I can guarantee you is 100% true.

translation: Fox News talking head turns into liberal wet noodle but it's OK...
 
i support significant wartime tax rates for all brackets until the wars have concluded. let's see if hawks are willing to open their wallets.
 
He gave up Mattis for an imaginary withdrawal?
 
From ABC News

Trump adviser outlines conditions for US pullout from Syria


President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday that the American military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State group and on Turkey assuring the safety of U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.

John Bolton said there is no timetable for the pullout, but insisted the military presence is not an unlimited commitment.

"There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem before heading to Turkey on Monday, where he will be joined by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. "The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."

Those conditions, he said, included defeating what's left of IS in Syria and protecting Kurdish militias who have fought alongside U.S. troops against the extremist group.

COMMENT:-

It appears that there are two absolutely non-negotiable conditions:


  1. the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) has to be defeated; and
  2. the terrorists that the US has been supporting (the Kurds) have to be protected from being attacked.

There should be no difficulty in meeting the first because the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) have already been defeated - Mr. Trump said so.

The second just might be a bit difficult to get America's partners in "The War on Terror" to agree to since they are likely to take the position that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist regardless of what the government of the United States of America says.

Since the two conditions are absolutely non-negotiable, that means that either the US troops are going to stay in Syria (which will all be the fault of Obama/Clinton and the Democrats) or something will happen to change Mr. Trump's mind (read as "someone on FOX News will say something uncomplimentary about the fact that American troops are still in Syria despite Mr. Trump saying that he was going to bring them all back home").

PS - What Mr. Boulton's statement amounts to is "We are going to keep our troops in Syria until we remove them." - which I can guarantee you is 100% true.

The question is though is there really any reason for Erdogan, or any other foreign leader for that matter, to believe that whenever Bolton or Pompeo speak that they are actually speaking for the President? Can they rely their word as being his?
 
The question is though is there really any reason for Erdogan, or any other foreign leader for that matter, to believe that whenever Bolton or Pompeo speak that they are actually speaking for the President? Can they rely their word as being his?

Ask yourself another question "Do they actually care?".

When there no longer any American witnesses floating around the Turks are VERY likely to launch an offensive against the Kurdish group that the US government has labelled as "terrorists". The Turks are likely to use "Vietnam Counting"


1. Is it dead? If "Yes" go to Line 2., if "No" go to Line 4.
2. Is it absolutely unmistakably a camel? If "No" go to Line 3., if "Yes" go to Line 5.
3. It is a "terrorist".
4. Shoot it again and return to Line 1.
5. Burn the body and return to Line 1.

to determine if those killed are terrorists.
 
So in short, Trump caved and we are NOT pulling out. How many of us called that one? A lot, I’m sure.
 
Trump Tweet said:
We have defeated ISIS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency.

Trump comment in video said:
“Our boys, our young women, our men — they’re all coming back, and they’re coming back now,”

I think someone really needs to pay attention to those briefings before making public comments.
 
I think someone really needs to pay attention to those briefings before making public comments.

When Mr. Trump says "now" he means "when it happens" and not "at this exact instant". Obviously the American troops were NOT leaving Syria at the momeent that Mr. Trump was speaking, so any intelligent person would know that Mr. Trump's "now" actually meant "at some time in the future".

Didn't you get the "clarification"?
 
Be prepared for ISIS Redux.
 
He gave up Mattis for an imaginary withdrawal?


Yeah, that part is sorta troublesome.

But i think General Mattis was getting pretty frustrated with the whole environment anyway.
 
When Mr. Trump says "now" he means "when it happens" and not "at this exact instant". Obviously the American troops were NOT leaving Syria at the momeent that Mr. Trump was speaking, so any intelligent person would know that Mr. Trump's "now" actually meant "at some time in the future".

Didn't you get the "clarification"?

Yeah, but I'm waiting for the next round of "clarification". Remember when the wall was supposed to be concrete, then Kelly said they moved on from that, but then Trump said they didn't. So maybe third round of clarification is the one that sticks?
 
From ABC News

Trump adviser outlines conditions for US pullout from Syria


President Donald Trump's national security adviser said Sunday that the American military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of the Islamic State group and on Turkey assuring the safety of U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters.

John Bolton said there is no timetable for the pullout, but insisted the military presence is not an unlimited commitment.

"There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal," Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem before heading to Turkey on Monday, where he will be joined by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. "The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement."

Those conditions, he said, included defeating what's left of IS in Syria and protecting Kurdish militias who have fought alongside U.S. troops against the extremist group.

COMMENT:-

It appears that there are two absolutely non-negotiable conditions:


  1. the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) has to be defeated; and
  2. the terrorists that the US has been supporting (the Kurds) have to be protected from being attacked.

There should be no difficulty in meeting the first because the terrorists that have already been defeated (ISISISISILDAESHWHATEVER) have already been defeated - Mr. Trump said so.

The second just might be a bit difficult to get America's partners in "The War on Terror" to agree to since they are likely to take the position that a terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist regardless of what the government of the United States of America says.

Since the two conditions are absolutely non-negotiable, that means that either the US troops are going to stay in Syria (which will all be the fault of Obama/Clinton and the Democrats) or something will happen to change Mr. Trump's mind (read as "someone on FOX News will say something uncomplimentary about the fact that American troops are still in Syria despite Mr. Trump saying that he was going to bring them all back home").

PS - What Mr. Boulton's statement amounts to is "We are going to keep our troops in Syria until we remove them." - which I can guarantee you is 100% true.



Given what you say, what will happen is Erdogan will meet the verbal condition of “assuring” the safety of the Kurds and later make up a story about the Kurds attacking Turkey via continued/increased terrorist or some other nature of attacks and Turkey will move to slaughter the Kurds.

It’s happened several times before where the US has “assured” the Kurds they would not be “abandoned” and then the Kurds woke up with the Americans gone while the enemy was on them like a flash flood and the Kurds left with no more armament then a cracked water pistol.
 
Given what you say, what will happen is Erdogan will meet the verbal condition of “assuring” the safety of the Kurds and later make up a story about the Kurds attacking Turkey via continued/increased terrorist or some other nature of attacks and Turkey will move to slaughter the Kurds.

Even if you and I didn't know that that is exactly what would happen - the Kurds do.

It’s happened several times before where the US has “assured” the Kurds they would not be “abandoned” and then the Kurds woke up with the Americans gone while the enemy was on them like a flash flood and the Kurds left with no more armament then a cracked water pistol.

"There's an old saying in Tennessee I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."

Or something like that.

The Kurds have been considered "obnoxious neighbours" for a couple of millennia now, and so are used to getting shafted when their utility as a "Rent-A-Friend" is over.

That isn't a very pretty thought, but it certainly does reflect reality.

However, there is always the possibility of a quadrilateral solution whereby

  1. Turkey, Syria, and Iraq agree that the Kurds cannot have any land in Iran;
  2. Iran, Turkey, and Syria agree that the Kurds cannot have any land in Iraq;
  3. Iraq, Iran, and Turkey agree that the Kurds cannot have any land in Syria; and
  4. Syria, Iraq, and Iran agree that the Kurds cannot have any land in Turkey.

At that point the Kurds will be perfectly free to form their own country wherever they want and, provided that they comply with those four minor restrictions then the Iraqi, Iranian, Turkish, and Syrian government will give them all the assistance that they require to set up their own country.
 
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