Turn A Full Syrian Withdrawal & Partial Afghanistan Withdrawal Into Victory
The decision to withdraw US military forces from Syria is being viewed from a variety of different viewpoints:
- Those with a stake in the region are now claiming victory over US policy.
- Many who follow politics closely have a difficult time believing such a withdrawal is true and fear US soldiers will be replaced by other nations and private mercenary armies.
- Some think the US is simply consolidating or minimizing obstacles in order to wage a larger war on Iran, or elsewhere. This perhaps could explain why the US set up a new military base inside of Iraq that also, like it did inside of Syria in At-Tanf, effectively still blocking the Damascus-to-Baghdad Highway.
- Another school of thought sees the US withdrawal as a way to placate Turkey in order to keep Turkey secure in NATO, rather than have it more closely align with Russia and China in the future.
- A few even take Trump at his word that he never wanted the military to ever be in Syria.
The bottom line is the US occupation of Syria has been illegal and in violation of both international and US national law. It’s a fact that the US never should have entered Syria in the first place. So one school of thought is the US by withdrawing can only look good in the eyes of others. I actually share this view.
How To Make The Most Out of A Bad Scene:
America, due to its policy of using its military to support worldwide corporate hegemony, is not well-liked by most nations of the world. Most countries either simply put up with America or look the other way, largely due to US economic bullyism in the world.
Truth be known? America has a bad rap and it deserves a bad rap!
So how best to turn this image around? How best to regain the respect of other nations?
It’s a pretty simple solution: Non-violence! Indeed, begin projecting images of non-violence towards all nations. Here’s a three-step solution:
- Announce an end to the death penalty and encourage all other nations to do the same.
- Announce a ban on trophy hunting and make it known that America respects all life on earth. Who knows, perhaps this could even influence those who insist on whaling.
- Announce the formation of a national US commission to explore ending the drug war. So much violence emanates from the drug war as drug-smuggling routes are easily converted into weapons-smuggling routes.
Indeed, America should turn the withdrawal of its military forces into a victory and never let it be viewed as a defeat. America should use this opportunity to proclaim a need for non-violent solutions to the world’s problems. A full ban on the death penalty and trophy hunting would become precisely the signal America needs to present in order to show it is a world leader in conscience, not only in economics.
Do I have a witness?
