Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Syrian troops entering Kurdish territory after the deal was struck

Trump recently pulled many American troops out of Syria and received massive criticism by parliament. He says that a “full withdrawal” is the next step, however this leaves the Kurdish extremely vulnerable. The Kurdish don’t have a country to themselves, however they occupy Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. The Kurdish recently struck a deal with the Syrians in order to gain protection from the Turkish (See Link). The US was previously protecting the Kurds in Syria, but due to the withdrawal of US troops, they have been left vulnerable. The Turkish have more men, more guns, and bigger bombs than the Kurds. If they wanted to, they could launch an invasion and eliminate the population. The Kurds needed protection and they needed it fast so they struck this deal.

By abandoning the Kurds the US have pushed them into a desperate corner. They are looking for help of any kind and it seems that they may turn to the Russians. Since the US pulled their troops out the Republican Party has become enraged. They are saying how all recent measures against terrorism and progress made has been lost due to the withdrawal of troops. Controversial missions against the Islamic state where being performed by these troops, since the troops are now gone, these missions can’t be performed anymore (See Link). This could loosen American influence and control of the Middle East. Worst of all, since the Kurds are now turning towards the Russians they might gain a massive amount of power in this area. The Russians have been known to strike deals with questionable figures in the Middle East and the US withdrawal of troops means that the Russians have now acquired an easier way of communicating with these figures. The Kurdish leader even said,  “We know that we would have to make painful compromises with Moscow and Bashar al-Assad if we go down the road of working with them.” (See Link) He knows that the Syrians and Russians will take advantage and use their resources and influence for their own benefit. However, they are okay with that if it means avoiding the genocide of the Kurdish people. 

Pulling American troops out of northern Syria exposed the Kurdish people and could loosen control of the Middle East. Americans have helped the Kurdish for years and recently extinguished ISIS. But something that many people don’t realize is that the Kurdish were mainly responsible for the thwarting of ISIS (See Link). They fought in many battles against ISIS and lost thousands of lives in the process, all to help the US. Now the US is pulling its troops out of the area leaving them vulnerable. It’s unfair to these people who have done so much for the US and fought along side its soldiers. The US has no right to be upset that the Kurds have struck a deal with the Syrians and probably will align with the Russians in the near future. The US abandoned them and if they have to choose between aligning with the Russians and being taken advantage of, or the genocide of their people, they are going to choose the Russians. Yes, it will loosen the US influence over the Middle East and grant Russia more control, but we have no right to be upset about it. When we chose to withdraw those troops, we knew that this would be a direct consequence. Every action has ramifications, and the US now have the deal with those. A loss of control over the Middle East may be a consequence that the US must deal with.