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The U.S. Disengagement from Syria

(Israel Hayom) Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi - President Trump's decision to end America's military presence in Syria was anchored in his position to disengage from the centers of conflict that do not present an immediate and tangible threat to American security. As long as the Islamic State constituted a central terrorist threat in Syria, the president accepted America's continued presence there. Now, with ISIS in significant decline, the decision to disengage is a natural move for Trump, who has made his desire to reduce the scope of America's overall involvement overseas abundantly clear. Against this background, the apocalyptic warning that the disengagement from Syria will cause massive damage to the U.S.' overall standing appears to be without basis. Although one cannot dismiss the price the Kurdish minority may be forced to pay, was the presence of 2,000 American military advisers in a narrow strip in Syria's northeast ever enough to dramatically influence what transpires in Syria and throughout the region? Moreover, will the withdrawal be enough to undermine the prestige of the American superpower on a front defined by Washington as marginal? The U.S. troop withdrawal could lead to Russia deepening its strategic coordination with Israel in Syria's skies, not out of sensitivity to Israel's security concerns, but rather to prevent Iran's excessive empowerment in the Syrian sphere. The writer is professor of international relations at the University of Haifa.
2018-12-24 00:00:00
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