Without taking a position on the wisdom of the Syria withdrawal -- commentary is running strongly opposed, I notice -- I do think it poses an interesting challenge to the Republic. It's a common one with Donald Trump, the same one we've seen elsewhere. It is this: can an elected President defy the deep-set preference of the bureaucracy? If yes, however unwise a given decision, at least we still live in a Republic in which the people can alter the course of the government through elections. If no, well, the elected government may have become a kind of decoration (or, really, a decoy) for the real government.
So far the answer has been "no," but perhaps with repeated efforts this is changing. I hear the State Department has begun withdrawal efforts. The Pentagon seems to be dragging its feet so far.
The "commentary" in favor of troops everywhere is located in the NYC/DC beltway.
ReplyDeleteThe US is not going to resolve 3,500 years of mortal combat which is part of the DNA in the Levant. Maybe it's time for the generals to go over there, form up in platoons with M-16's, and run a few ops.
That'll reduce overhead in the Pentagon, too.
I was with Trump on this until Mattis resigned over it. I trust Mattis's judgement over my own on such things.
ReplyDeleteSteve H at Powerline commented on the domestic politics of the decision.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/12/the-trump-doctrine-and-2020.php
Is Mattis right? From a pure strategy standpoint I'd say yes also, but I'm not sure the geopolitical situation is trending in support of that position anymore. I stumbled upon a couple talks by a guy named Peter Zeihan that highlight some of the changes
https://youtu.be/BclcpfVn2rg .. takes about an hour but worth it.
Dad29 has a good point, and I'm not sure Mattis, whatever else his virtues are, is really suited to deal-making, or actually thinking outside the current box as Trump seems so far to have done.
ReplyDeleteWhat really kills me about this whole withdrawl thing is that people who were dead set against intervening in Syria are now bemoaning a pull out from Syria.
That all tells me that the opposition is political, and they don't really care how many soldiers or civilians are killed in the end. It's not them in any case.
The US can lose its entire navy and army and air force, but so long as Trum's Space Force continues to unveil the super tech, the war against the Deep State will continue.
ReplyDeleteAmerica's 99% military might is invested in the Secret and not so secret space programs, aka Space Force. The old tech is what is released for the public to see. F-35 level stuff, very primitive technology.
While Solar Warden type shenanigans are not elohim tech, they are closer to it than what modern civilization has access to. This all goes back to Eisenhowever, when he threatened Area 51's administrators with the Army invading and cracking it open, and then later Eisenhowever started talking about a military industrial complex (NASA). One of his great grandaughters picked up on that legacy.
"That all tells me that the opposition is political, and they don't really care how many soldiers or civilians are killed in the end. It's not them in any case."
ReplyDeleteExactly so, and the rapidity with which seemingly everyone rushed to take sides based on their political opinions was further evidence. No one could even wait to get a little more information, which it turns out could make a difference, if it's correct that the French, Saudis, and Emirates are steppiing up their presence to account for our pullback.
Certainly, those equating this with the Obama pullout from Iraq are way off base.
"I'm not sure Mattis, whatever else his virtues are, is really suited to deal-making, or actually thinking outside the current box as Trump seems so far to have done."
Maybe. It's also possible that Mattis, having deep familiarity with the costs, is more hesitant to risk more radical directions. Of course, sometimes this neglects the costs of the long term 'safer' plan as well.
I suspect that it's a combination of Mattis having a bellyful of the political level of things, and the difficulty of a man who is a manifestation of a more traditional form of honor dealing with a man like Trump (who I think has found a path to a kind of honor that suits his personality, serving the people in a brutal fight against the entrenched establishment elites).