Trump’s ‘success’ cedes region

PRESIDENT Donald Trump declared success in Syria on Wednesday and created a bumper-sticker moment to illustrate his campaign promise to put a stop to American involvement in “endless wars”.

But with his abrupt withdrawal from what he called “bloodstained sand”, the president ceded American influence over a huge swath of the region to rivals and may have spun the Middle East into a new season of uncertainty.

In remarks at the White House, Trump made the case that American administrations before him had wasted too much money and blood on sectarian and tribal fighting in which the US had no place meddling.

“We have spent $8 trillion (R117 trillion) on wars in the Middle East, never really wanting to win those wars,” Trump said.

“But after all that money was spent, and all those lives lost, the young men and women, gravely wounded so many, the Middle East is less safe, less stable and less secure than before these conflicts began.”

But analysts and lawmakers said Trump had declared victory for a crisis along the border of Turkey and Syria that was arguably of his own making, while underplaying the reality that he had strengthened the hand of Russia.

Critics also say the move will roll back advances made by US-led forces in the fight against the Islamic State group.

The president also still has work to do to repair the political damage he’s done within his own base among those who say he has abandoned the Kurds, long-time US allies who fought with American forces to beat back the IS group in north-east Syria.

“The job of our military is not to police the world,” Trump said. “Other nations must step up and do their fair share. That hasn’t taken place. Today’s breakthrough is a critical step in that direction.”

By implicitly applauding Russia for partnering with Turkey to patrol a portion of the Syrian border, Trump seemed to endorse Moscow’s ambition to gain greater influence in Syria.

In doing so, the president is turning upside-down Washington’s previous effort to limit Russia’s sway in the only Middle Eastern country in which it has a permanent military presence.

The crisis began earlier this month when Trump ordered the bulk of the 1 000 US troops in Syria to withdraw after Turkish President Revep Tayyip Erdogan told Trump in a phone call that Turkish forces were set to invade north-eastern Syria. Turkey’s goal was to push back the Kurdish fighters.

Turkey views the Kurds as terrorists and an ever-present threat along its southern border with Syria. | AP