The stated policy of the current US administration towards the Islamic Republic has been changing the “regime behavior” in the Middle East Region, from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq to Yemen and Afghanistan. The strategy to support this policy is to cut off the flow of oil revenues to the IR Regime by preventing the other countries from purchasing Iranian oil, and also to block the Regime’s access to the global banking system.
So far it is not clear how successful the strategy has been. But there’s another “behavior change” taking place in Washington that’s in direct contrast to the “behavior change” policy in Iran.
Donald Trump just announced his intention to withdraw the 2,000 US forces from Syria, despite the opposition from his Defense Secretary General Mattis and the White House inner circle, which will create a vacuum in Syria that will be filled by the regional forces and militias supported by the Islamic Republic.
Trump is also looking into reducing the US military footprint in Afghanistan by half by bringing 7,000 forces home, and is contemplating a total withdrawal by next spring. This “behavior change” by Trump will most likely weaken the central government in Kabul and paves the way for Taliban and the Ghods Force to increase their influence there.
Trump’s mismanagement of the Khashoggi case by his unconditional support of Mohammad Bin Salman forced the US Senate to pass a law stopping the US military support for the Saudi incursion in Yemen, and once again providing an opportunity for the IR Regime to create more mischief there.
So, while Trump’s stated policy has been to change the IR Regime’s behavior, through its misguided actions in the Region and alienating the allies and NATO, it is moving the US in the opposite direction and negating its strategy.
گر صبر کنی زغوره حلوا سازم
In his new book “Fear,” Bob Woodward recounts that in April 2017, after President Trump saw images of dead Syrian children with their mouths foaming from a sarin attack, he called Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and issued an order: Get me a plan for a military strike to take out Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“Let’s f---ing kill him!” Trump told Mattis, according to the book. “Let’s go in. Let’s kill the f---ing lot of them.” Mattis, Woodward writes, assured the president that “he would get right on it.” But as soon as Mattis hung up the phone, he told a senior aide: “We’re not going to do any of that.” Instead, Woodward says, the defense secretary gave Trump options for more-limited strikes.
Mark A Thiessen
I agree with Trump on these two actions, the U.S troops in Syria were/ are useless (2000 people, even if you had 2000 Navy seals and commandos the numbers is not large enough to make a huge contributions).
As for Afghanistan that is another disaster, after 15 years of bombing, thousands of lives lost and injured, today Taliban is stronger than ever and now U.S is negotiation with them openly in Qatar!
There is a limit to what U.S arm forces can do and perhaps we are beginning to see that limit has reached.
The point of my blog is not to look at the US policy in Syria or Afghanistan in isolation, but rather to examine how Trump’s policy towards Iran contradicts his actions (behavior) in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq. Especially since confronting the IR Regime is now the centerpiece of his Middle Eastern policy.
His actions in the 2 theatres are not compatible with each other or complementary.
MRX,
4,000 not 2,000. 17 years in Afghanistan not 15.
BTW,
Trump didn’t start any of these wars, including the war that destroyed Libya.
GR
you may be right on the number and the years , bottom line its been a wasteful effort both in terms of man power loss and the cost.
Faramaraz,
I got your point,but I am not even sure confronting Iran is Trump's centerpiece policy. (No one knows what is!)
Confronting Iran is Netanyahu policy and by extention AIPAC which puts a big pressure on U.S law makers including Trump .
MRX,
The numbers are not of much significance here. I felt the need for an excuse in order to punctuate the second part of my comment. LOL
As far as war goes, kudos to him... so far, so good... except for the urge he felt one night and had one MOAB dropped on poor Afghans... So far, so good...