The Importance of America’s Role in Syria
Long before Trump announced the defeat of ISIS, United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces spent months fighting what is left of the Islamic State. Unfortunately, the SDF has been fighting an uphill battle due in large part to guerilla-style insurgent tactics such as, suicide bombers, sleeper cells, and kidnappings, deployed by ISIS. Syria’s civil war was entrenched in its seventh year and showed no signs of letting up.
Less than six months ago, President Trump announced troop withdrawal from Syria because ISIS had been defeated. Much like a game of Jenga, a call for complete United States forces withdrawal from Syria is more problematic than most realize. Aside from the fracture that reverberated through his administration, Trump’s call to leave Syria showed a brash populist stance that was heralded by Jeffersonian Republicans who would rather minimize American involvement abroad. However, down a few rows on the same side of the aisle, Jacksonian Republicans would rather opt to maintain a military presence and support allies abroad. While both Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Republicans can find common ground in their suspicion of humanitarian intervention and prefer unilateral actions by their president in foreign affairs.
Trump’s haphazard announcement caused serious fallout not only among party members or United States allies such as France and…
