Small Wars Journal

U.S. Withdrawal Creates Opening for Revitalized Syrian Regime

Sat, 11/02/2019 - 12:07am

U.S. Withdrawal Creates Opening for Revitalized Syrian Regime by Raja Abdulrahim – Wall Street Journal

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad clawed back control over much of his country with the help of Russia and Iran. Now he is poised to take back much of the rest—in large part because of the U.S.

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw most U.S. troops from northeastern Syria reordered the security landscape in the country, opening the door for Mr. Assad to reclaim areas he hasn’t held in years.

The Syrian leader will still face numerous challenges. The U.S. is keeping some troops behind to guard oil fields, Turkish forces are pushing into northern Syria and Kurds governing swaths of eastern Syria want to hold on to at least some autonomy…

Read on.