John Chuckman
EXPANSION OF COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE
“Confusion swirls over US policy in Syria after Trump nixes talk of troop withdrawal”
A top US senator briefed by Mr Trump on Sunday added to the confusion. Senator Lindsey Graham, an influential and outspoken South Carolina Republican, said the US would not allow for a chaotic withdrawal of American military personnel from northern Syria and would prevent Iran from filling any vacuum.
This is about Israel.
The original intention of the US in putting troops into northeast Syria had little to do with ISIS and a great deal to do with helping foster a Kurdish rump state to weaken Syria.
Such a rump state would be a kind of consolation prize for the failed proxy war against Assad, a war which was the covert handiwork of the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France, and, originally, Turkey.
Fighting ISIS in the northeast just provided a good cover for America’s illegal behavior of occupation and base-building, training and supplying forces working against the country’s legitimate government.
Israel has been extremely unhappy with how the proxy war, a pet project, has gone, and when it is unhappy, its chief allies in Washington hear about it, and loudly.
Lindsey Graham is one of those. Indeed, Sen Graham is perhaps the most embarrassingly attentive advocate for Israel in Washington. He literally jumps to his feet every time the country’s name is mentioned.
This turn of events is very bad news from every reasonable point of view. Trump, once again, is not keeping his word, displaying pathetic weakness. Washington is ready to continue with activity that violates all international law and practice. Israel demonstrates yet again completely inappropriate influence on what Washington does in the world. And we have delay in getting Syria reunited and getting reconstruction under way with huge numbers of refugees kept waiting longer.
