The U.S. withdrawal from Syria is turning into a major debacle. Washington’s superpower status enables it to exploit the disequilibrium in military might to invade other nations. But, retreating from the battlefield is another story. Time and again, Americans have proved unable to create functioning state structures or promote democracy in occupied territories. Nor have they been able to leave as planned. Iraq and Afghanistan immediately come to mind, yet Washington is struggling in Syria now.
Instead of shaking hands on the Turkish plan, which involved a 20-mile wide safe zone in northern Syria, the U.S. opted to explore options that are far more complicated. President Donald Trump’s team turned to their European partners, in light of a proposed transfer of territory from the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the PKK terrorist organization’s Syrian affiliate, to the so-called Arab forces.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan pitched to the NATO circles a plan for an observation force, yet The Washington Post reported that the Europeans were unwilling to fill the power vacuum that Washington will leave behind. If the U.S. were to retreat, they reportedly said, the rest would follow suit. That story did not come as a surprise, as European (including French) officials overseeing the Syria file made the same case in private meetings in recent months. Without the U.S., they told me, the European forces would not stay in the conflict zone.
If Turkey and Europe do not see eye to eye on a key issue like the PKK/YPG threat, the relationship will suffer long-term damage. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that Turkey is more strategically important to Europe than the U.S. Washington has the luxury of gradually withdrawing from the Middle East, only to maintain a presence in the Gulf. Yet the Europeans have nowhere to go. To address problems emanating from the Middle East, they have no choice but to cooperate with Turkey.
In the meantime, tensions are growing between Russia and the U.S. Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to point his country’s new weapons at American targets if Washington were to deploy missiles in Europe. Turkey could play a crucial role to counterbalance Moscow’s growing pressure on the old continent. Hence, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s straightforward message to European governments: That setting up safe zones was the only way to facilitate the return of refugees to Syria, that Turkey could not stop the next influx of refugees alone and that Syrians will eventually head to Europe if they cannot return home. To support a Turkish-controlled safe zone in northern Syria, Erdoğan added, would be a contribution by the European governments to their own national security. The Turkish president’s remarks serve as a reminder to certain European decision-makers, who have been trying to protect PKK/YPG militants that they have to think about their own interests and the future of Europe.
Let us see if Washington will be able to pull out without making a mess this time around.
[Daily Sabah, 23 February 2019]
In this article
- Opinion
- Afghanistan
- CENTCOM
- DAESH
- Daily Sabah
- Donald Trump
- East of the Euphrates
- Europe
- Fight against DAESH
- Iraq
- Islamic Republic of Iran
- Kurdistan Workers' Party Terrorist Organization (PKK)
- Middle East
- Migration
- NATO
- NATO Ally
- Operation Euphrates Shield
- Peace Corridor
- People's Protection Units (YPG)
- PKK - YPG - SDF - PYD - YPJ - SDG - HBDH - HPG - KCK - PJAK - TAK - YBŞ
- Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
- Russia
- Safe Zone
- Superpower
- Syria
- Syrian Civil War
- Syrian Conflict
- Syrian Crisis
- Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
- Syrian National Army (SNA)
- Syrian National Coalition
- Syrian Opposition
- Syrian Refugees
- Terrorism
- Trump’s Syria Withdrawal
- Turkish Foreign Policy
- Turkish President
- Turkish-American Relations
- Türkiye
- Türkiye-US Relations
- Türkiye-US Security Relations
- Türkiye's Foreign Policy
- Türkiye's Operation Peace Spring
- Türkiye’s Operation Olive Branch
- United States (US)
- US Foreign Policy
- US Withdrawal from Syria
- US-PKK/PYD/YPG/SDF Relations
- US-Terror Relations
- Vladimir Putin