The U.S. And Its Allies Now Control A Third Of Syria

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Danny Sjursen, National Interest: The U.S. Military: Proud Owners of One-Third of Syria

How many American citizens even realize the U.S. military now occupies most of the eastern third of Syria?

He called it the "Pottery Barn" rule: you break it, you buy it! Former secretary of state Colin Powell was, of course, referring to Iraq back in 2003, warning President George W. Bush about the inherent risks of regime change. “What comes next?” he liked to ask. Though, admittedly, the United States was hardly responsible for most of the “breaking” in Syria—that ignominious honor belongs to Bashar al-Assad—Powell’s question remains relevant today.

Why? Because the risk-reward calculation in Syria is completely unbalanced, with a real danger of regional great power conflict. Just this week, as the U.S. military stares down a slew of adversaries along the Euphrates River, top Russian officials threatened retaliation if President Trump orders attacks on the Syrian regime which endanger Russian servicemen. Even more striking, last month U.S. airstrikes killed scores of assaulting Russian mercenaries. This is all deadly serious.

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WNU Editor: More accurately it is the U.S., Syrian Kurds and Arab allies, backed by some European coalition partners .... who control less than a third of Syria. And more to the point .... this presence is not sustainable for the long term.