Opinion: Trump has managed to make bad policy choices on Syria even worse (via latimesopinion)
But for U.S. foreign policy interests, the implications of this stark example of national security decision-making in the Trump era won’t fade. It further confirms how his approach presents real risks to U.S. interests. Even after the president’s attention has long been diverted elsewhere, adversaries will have internalized some important lessons they can use to their advantage.
Second, when the U.S. government is so obviously not aligned internally on policy, it has much less ability to manage downstream risks stemming from policy choices. In the hours after the White House statement on troop withdrawal from Syria, the Defense Department and State Department were left scrambling to explain what, if anything, had changed in the U.S. approach. They certainly weren’t able to describe how they would be mitigating the attendant challenges.
Third, the erratic Syria decision further undermines the U.S. relationship with partners and allies. The consequences for the SDF, who fought capably against Islamic State and suffered an estimated
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