Trump’s Difficult Choice in Syria

The recent scenes from Syria — bearded Islamists conquering the capital and toppling statues — are by now too familiar to Americans. President Joe Biden’s claim to share credit for the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the humiliation of Russia is risible, since it was his administration that gave sanctions relief to Iran — which, alongside Russia, had been propping up the Syrian regime — and withheld military aid to Israel, which is fighting Iran’s proxies. Besides, Biden’s presidency began with a comparable spectacle of humiliation during America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Americans weary from failures at home and abroad welcome, now more than before, President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of Biden’s and institutional elites’ failures. However, the U.S. can boast one success in the Middle East: the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). That region’s Kurds, Christians, and Arabs, among others, not only produced the most reliable military force to combat ISIS — the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — but also a pluralistic democracy, a rarity in the region. It would be unprincipled, and perhaps unwise, to abandon them now.

About the Author

Andrew Doran

Andrew Doran is an author and the director of research for Remembering Upstate New York. He served on the policy-planning staff at the U.S. Department of State.

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The recent scenes from Syria — bearded Islamists conquering the capital and toppling statues — are by now too familiar to Americans. President Joe Biden’s claim to share credit for the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the humiliation of Russia is risible, since it was his administration that gave sanctions relief to Iran — which, alongside Russia, had been propping up the Syrian regime — and withheld military aid to Israel, which is fighting Iran’s proxies. Besides, Biden’s presidency began with a comparable spectacle of humiliation during America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Americans weary from failures at home and abroad welcome, now more than before, President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of Biden’s and institutional elites’ failures. However, the U.S. can boast one success in the Middle East: the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). That region’s Kurds, Christians, and Arabs, among others, not only produced the most reliable military force to combat ISIS — the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — but also a pluralistic democracy, a rarity in the region. It would be unprincipled, and perhaps unwise, to abandon them now.

About the Author

Andrew Doran

Andrew Doran is an author and the director of research for Remembering Upstate New York. He served on the policy-planning staff at the U.S. Department of State.