Jeffrey D. Sachs, Project Syndicate: Trump’s Syria Withdrawal is a Chance for Peace
From Donald Trump’s point of view, a US-installed Syrian puppet regime that would push out Russia and Iran is neither central to US national security nor practicable. And, here, Trump is right for a change.
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump’s announced withdrawal of US forces from Syria has met with near-universal condemnation by Democrats and Republicans alike. That says less about Trump than it does about the US foreign policy establishment’s blinkered vision.
The mainstream of both political parties exhibits certain reflexive judgments: that the US must maintain a troop presence all over the world in order to prevent adversaries from filling a vacuum; that US military might holds the key to foreign policy success; and that America’s adversaries are implacable foes impervious to diplomacy. Trump’s withdrawal from Syria could indeed be a dangerous prelude to an expanded regional war; yet, with imagination and diplomacy, the withdrawal could be a critical step on the path to an elusive peace in region.
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- January 2, 2019
Middle East Braces for Power Shift as U.S. Moves Toward Syria Withdrawal -- Chris Mitchell, CBN
What is China doing in Africa? -- Carolyn Cooper, Jamaica Gleaner
Taiwan-China relations since 1949 -- AFP
New Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has his hands full on Taiwan -- Erin Dunne, Washington Examiner
How Trump Can Challenge China -- Reihan Salam, The Atlantic
Why slowing economies could prod US and China to reach deal -- Paul Wiseman and Joe McDonald, AP
Merkel’s Era of Stagnation -- Andrew Stuttaford, NR
The Rough Year Ahead for France -- Art Goldhammer, The New Republic
Here, in the bloodlands of Belarus, I found hope for the future of Europe -- Natalie Nougayrède, The Guardian
The Rasps of Putin’s Political Machine -- Moscow Times
Washington’s reflexive opposition to Trump on Syria -- Bonnie Kristian, The Hill
In 2019, the ‘techlash’ will go from strength to strength -- Mark Scott, Politico
The New Face of Terrorism in 2019 -- Vera Mironova, Foreign Policy
Pull out of Syria: everybody have forgotten that USSR had Syria as an ally with naval bases, as in Egypt and Algeria. SO! USSR has lost the cold war anyway.
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