I’m
starting to wonder whether President Trump has any power over US foreign policy
at all. Many people believe that the US president is just a figurehead, with
actual foreign policy firmly in the hands of the deep state. Trump’s latest
dramatic U-turn on pulling troops from Syria certainly feeds such theories.
When
President Trump announced just a couple of weeks ago that the US was removing
its troops from Syria and possibly reducing troops from Afghanistan, the
neocons, the media, the military-industrial complex, and the left-wing
“never-Trump” people were livid. They were silent when President Obama made the
horrible decision to overthrow Assad in Syria and sent weapons to jihadists to
do so. They never said a word when billions of dollars were committed to this
immoral and dangerous “regime change” policy. They weren’t interested in the
rule of law when President Obama thumbed his nose at Congress and sent troops
into Syria.
But when President Trump
declared the obvious – that ISIS was effectively defeated and that we had
no business being in Syria – these above groups in unison declared that
actually bringing US troops home was a “gift to Russia.” They said bringing US
troops home would create instability in the regions they left. Well, is there
any proof that occupation by US troops actually brings stability?
No
sooner did President Trump announce our departure than his neocon advisors
began walking his words back. First he had to endure a lunch with Sen. Lindsey
Graham reading him the riot act, where, according to the Senator, Trump agreed
to no timetables for departure. Then his National Security Advisor, John
Bolton, and his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, began to tell the world that
President Trump’s statements on troop pullout were just empty words, not US
policy.
While
Syrian Christians newly liberated from the rule of US-backed extremists
celebrated Christmas for the first time in years, John Bolton dusted off the
old warning to Assad that the US would attack if he “again” gassed his people.
With the Syrian president personally taking part in some of the Christmas
celebrations, does anybody really believe he’d go back to his office and order
a gas attack?
Bolton
then claimed that the US would shift troops from Syria to Iraq to continue
fighting ISIS and that the US fully backs Israeli airstrikes on Syrian
territory. Did President Trump even agree to any of this?
Even worse, Secretary of
State Pompeo is embarking on a Middle East tour where he will essentially tell
leaders in the region that the US president is a liar. According to one State
Department official quoted in a report on Sunday, Pompeo’s message to the
Middle East will be, “Despite reports to the contrary and false narratives
surrounding the Syria decision, we are not going anywhere. The secretary will
reinforce that commitment to the region and our partners.”
Calling
the US president’s actual words on Syria “false narratives”? How is this not
insubordination?
Will
President Trump stand by and watch this coup taking place under his nose? Does
he realize how his credibility suffers when he boldly announces a US withdrawal
and the does a U-turn days later? Has he noticed recent polls showing that the
majority of the American people agree with him? Why is he
so intimidated by the neocons?
Dr. Ron
Paul is a former member of Congress and Distinguished Counselor to the Mises
Institute.
Copyright © 2019 by RonPaul Institute. Permission to reprint in
whole or in part is gladly granted, provided full credit and a live link are
given.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2019/01/ron-paul/trumps-neocons-reverse-his-syria-withdrawal-plan/
