The Consequences of Trump’s Syria Pullout

FEATURING DR. STEPHEN ZUNES – President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision last week to pull US forces out of Northern Syria has left many people scratching their heads. US troops had been a bulwark of protection for Kurdish fighters who had led the fight to defeat the Islamic State. Turkish air strikes began immediately after the US withdrawal, leading to the freeing of hundreds of ISIS prisoners and to Kurdish fighters being forced to align with the Syrian government. Russian troops are now moving into the military vacuum in a region that appears to be free of US influence – at least for now.

Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he serves as coordinator of the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He also serves as a senior policy analyst for Foreign Policy in Focus, a project of the Institute for Policy Studies. He is also an associate editor of Peace Review.