Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Trump's Syria plan reveals a master strategist in the White House
American Thinker ^ | October 16, 2019 | Richard Jack Rail

Posted on 10/16/2019 11:03:13 AM PDT by Hojczyk

Everybody thought we had to keep our troops around so the Turks wouldn't invade Northern Syria and kill off all the Kurds. Everybody wanted them to negotiate with the Kurds and figured the only way to do that was little by little, by getting allies to reason with Turkey and hem and haw and maybe buy her off as in times past. Meanwhile, we had to keep the two ancient enemies, Kurds and Turks, apart.

Negotiations would ever happen only if our troops stayed.

Trump saw the situation differently. As beautifully laid out by Sundance at Conservative Treehouse, removing our guys would leave the intransigent Turks vulnerable to an alliance against them of their many enemies in the region. This thought didn't occur to Turkish president Recep Erdoğan, who at first seemed delighted that we were leaving and promptly dispatched his troops into Syria, as everybody had predicted he would.

Not so fast, fellas. The actual result hasn't been quite what everyone expected. Erdoğan suddenly understood the box he was in when Trump authorized Treasury secretary Mnuchin to prepare sanctions against Turkey. By themselves, sanctions haven't succeeded much in that part of the world. But in concert with the departure of the U.S., they became a scary signal that Turkey was all by her lonesome. Having steadfastly refused to negotiate, Erdoğan now nervously rang up Trump and asked for an emergency conference. Trump sent Vice President Pence and national security adviser O'Brien to mediate negotiations with the Kurds.

These are the long sought negotiations, brought about by U.S. troops leaving.

Trump once again exhibits strategic insight not seen in the White House since George Washington.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia; Syria
KEYWORDS: dsj02; erdogan; kurdistan; receptayyiperdogan; richardjackrail; russia; sundance; syria; treehouse; trumpforeignpolicy; trumpsyria; turkey
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061 next last

1 posted on 10/16/2019 11:03:13 AM PDT by Hojczyk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

3D Chess..............


2 posted on 10/16/2019 11:06:01 AM PDT by Red Badger (Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain...................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

Yep. Three dimensional chess.


3 posted on 10/16/2019 11:07:00 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

ping John Bolton discredited again.


4 posted on 10/16/2019 11:08:01 AM PDT by ptsal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

Kurds and way... kurds and way...

MAGA!


5 posted on 10/16/2019 11:10:16 AM PDT by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

There are big holes in the referenced Treehouse article from a few days ago. I highly recommend reading it carefully. I think it is well done but too optimistic about a quick negotiated peace.


6 posted on 10/16/2019 11:10:36 AM PDT by InterceptPoint (Ted, you finally endorsed.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ptsal

John Bolton is merely the life support system for a mustache.

It is an angry mustache that wants to kill everyone in wars.

Hitler was a life support system for another angry mustache as was Stallin.


7 posted on 10/16/2019 11:11:39 AM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget (TRUMP TRAIN !!! Get the hell out of the way if you are not on yet because we don't stop for idiots)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

This article is a much deserved kick in the stomach to the armchair generals who all thought they knew better than the President of the United States.


8 posted on 10/16/2019 11:11:45 AM PDT by SamAdams76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk
Trump once again exhibits strategic insight not seen in the White House since George Washington.

The two best presidents we've ever had.

9 posted on 10/16/2019 11:15:04 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (If White Privilege is real, why did Elizabeth Warren lie about being an Indian?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk
Let's face it, government bureaucrats are not that bright.
10 posted on 10/16/2019 11:17:45 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

Bump!


11 posted on 10/16/2019 11:19:42 AM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

And Reagan makes three...


12 posted on 10/16/2019 11:20:50 AM PDT by TomServo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

How do we know this is Erdogan desperate to negotiate?


13 posted on 10/16/2019 11:25:27 AM PDT by Sam Gamgee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

Trump is a strategic genius, the likes of which Western civilisation has not known since the days of Alexander of Macedon.

He doesn’t thing in days, or hours, like most politicians. He thinks in epochs


14 posted on 10/16/2019 11:26:38 AM PDT by WashingtonFire (We stand for God, For Country and for Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

15 posted on 10/16/2019 11:27:15 AM PDT by yoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 1Old Pro

“Let’s face it, government bureaucrats are not that bright.”

LOL,the understatement of the millennia!


16 posted on 10/16/2019 11:31:18 AM PDT by billyboy15
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Sam Gamgee

Erdogan is not desperate to negotiate.

The Turks and their allies the SNA will do what they can on the battlefield first.

Give them about a week. The Russians have ground troops in the fight, and armor, and air support.

The Turks are likely to pull back to their borders in NE Syria.

The big question is Afrin in NW Syria, the Turks occupied that sometime ago, Assad says he wants it back. Lots of Kurds there and the SDF is pledged to take up the fight.


17 posted on 10/16/2019 11:34:10 AM PDT by gandalftb
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Hojczyk

Didn’t Trump publicly say that the Kurds can find somebody else to help them? I think I heard him say that about a week ago. Now the Kurds have the Russians helping them. Russia is a lot closer to that neighborhood than we are.


18 posted on 10/16/2019 11:41:26 AM PDT by forgotten man
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

Trump once again exhibits strategic insight not seen in the White House since George Washington.
The two best presidents we’ve ever had


I read that Trump was the richest president since Washington. Maybe someone who already has wealth is more clear headed since they are not always trying to find an angle to add to their own bank account.


19 posted on 10/16/2019 11:42:34 AM PDT by angry elephant (My MAGA cap is from a rally in Washingon state in May 2016)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: 1Old Pro
"Let's face it, government bureaucrats are not that bright."

I'm not sure if they aren't that bright or whether it's that their only goal is to entrench and enhance their power. They have no motivation to solve the problems their tasked to solve - their goal is to increase to problem so they can ask for more funding and power to supposedly combat it. This is why the top levels of the military will always be for perpetual war and saber rattling.

20 posted on 10/16/2019 11:42:50 AM PDT by circlecity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson