Turkey invaded Syria on
October 9, 2019 “to flush Kurds allied with the US out of northeastern Syria.”[1]
Strategically, Turkey wanted to distance the Kurds from Turkey so they could
not aid Kurdish separatists in Turkey should the latter rise up in attempting
to establish Kurdistan. U.S. President Don Trump, who had just cleared American
troops from northeastern Syria, had advanced knowledge from Turkish President
Recep Erdogan that he planned to invade the area once the American troops were
out. A rare bipartisan unity in Congress criticized the removal of American
troops and the president’s acquiescence on Turkey’s plan to attach the Kurds,
an American ally—a plan that could possibly give ISIS a toehold in the region.
Both the Congress and the president had their respective rationales, yet
neither side looked past the apparent dichotomy to arrive at a solution
consistent with the points made by both sides.
The full essay is at "Dichotamous Thinking in Foreign Policy."
1. Nicole
Gaouette, “Republican
Anger at Trump Grows as Turkey Launches ‘Sickening’ Attack on US Allies,”
CNN.com, October 9, 2019 (accessed same day).
