John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE IN CHECKPOINT ASIA BY MICHAEL DOUGHERTY
“Adventures in Trumpland”
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Response to another reader’s comment:
The real objection to leaving Syria's NE, where American troops are illegally based, comes from Israel, not the military.
Israel lost the overall effort to destroy Syria with the phony jihad mercenaries (ISIS, al Nusra, and others) they have supported - along with Saudi Arabia, the US, the UK, France, and originally Turkey - but its consolation prize has been this region's being prevented from rejoining Syria.
Anything to weaken and destabilize Syria – that’s Israel view.
And Trump, as Israel's greatest public servant, naturally goes along.
His announcement about a troop withdrawal from Syria was his typical, seat-of-the-pants stuff. He knew had made many who voted for him angry with his complete failure to stop the America's Neocon Wars in the Middle East, and he wanted to throw them a sop. He thought he was okay with bases in nearby Iraq. He wanted to be a hero, to have something to brag about.
But when reminded by his handlers of what he was doing, risking Israel’s consolation prize, he backed off completely, saying nothing. This represents a pattern we often see. He really is a coward.
He has to be the most absurd president ever, almost Monty Pythonesque, full of daily bellowing and boastfulness about himself, while delivering on none of his promises to any supporters. Not one.
His belly-over-the-belt base is not getting its wall. His anti-war supporters got only more possibilities for war, through careless threats and stupid sanctions. The stupid sanctions, as those against Iran, represent again servility to Israel.
Indeed, the only significant party which truly gained from his election was Israel, and of course that's all about Trump filling a huge campaign war chest for 2020. Quite bizarre but highly symbolic of just how twisted America’s political system is and of the strange achievements in an empire.
So, in a very real sense, the man has achieved less than nothing.
