Wesley Clark on Trump's Syria withdrawal: 'Did Erdogan blackmail the president? Was there a payoff?

[Mainecat]

Wesley Clark on Trump's Syria withdrawal: 'Did Erdogan blackmail the president? Was there a payoff?

Wesley Clark on Monday questioned whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blackmailed President Trump into his decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria. 

"There doesn’t seem to be any strategic rationale for the decision. And if there’s no strategic rationale for the decision then you have to ask, why was the decision made?" the retired U.S. Army general and former NATO commander said on CNN's "New Day." 

"People around the world are asking this and some of our friends and our allies in the Middle East are asking, did Erdogan blackmail the president? Was there a payoff or something? Why would a guy make a decision like this? Because all the recommendations were against it," he added. 

Clark, a frequent Trump critic, said on CNN that Trump's decision should be of concern to the U.S. because of what it indicates about the country's foreign policy. "What does this say about the foreign policy of the United States? That we're not reliable? That we make strategic decisions based on no strategic logic? What kind of person is driving the helm? That’s the issue," he said. 

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/422717-wesley-clark-on-trumps-syria-withdrawal-did-erdogan-blackmail-the-president

[Jimmy Snacks]

Anything is possible but that's a lot of speculation from a known Trump hater.

[Ez ryder]

just stop .your familys embarisment has gone on far to long 

[Mainecat]

I wouldn’t put it past Trump.

[Anler]

Just make shit up, people believe what they want to believe. Facts be damned. 

[Angry ginger]

Trumpy could always release the tape of the conversation.  I'm sure that would be fun.  

[SnowRider]

36 minutes ago, Ez ryder said:

just stop .your familys embarisment has gone on far to long 

Speaking of embarrassment,.....pre-k speller and intellect  

[SnowRider]

33 minutes ago, Anler said:

Just make shit up, people believe what they want to believe. Facts be damned. 

Life of a Dumper and conspiracy theorist........  

Edited December 24, 2018 by SnowRider

[Mainecat]

A Trump tower in Istanbul?

[ActionfigureJoe]

That phone call changed changed something. Trump is dirty as fuck 

[Snoslinger]

41 minutes ago, Anler said:

Just make shit up, people believe what they want to believe. Facts be damned. 

lol, the irony coming from Ben jr

[Jimmy Snacks]

9 minutes ago, ActionfigureJoe said:

That phone call changed changed something. Trump is dirty as fuck 

Now the comparison I'm going to make doesn't involve policy or a final solution but the increasing isolation and paranoia are starting to remind me of Hitler's last days...no fucking joke. 

[Rigid1]

If this was at all believable, There are No worries, Trump will just receive a donation to the charity for a speaking engagement that Melania will make, and all will be on the up and up and good with everyone..

[Cop Watch]

There have been some intriguing developments related to Syria that are now being reported in the wake of President Trump’s announcement of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

 

To begin with, it appears that the Kurds will be getting support from America’s regional allies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sent military forces to areas controlled by the Kurdish YPG group in north-east Syria, Turkey’s Yenisafak newspaper reported.

The paper said the forces will be stationed with US-led coalition troops and will support its tasks with huge military enforcements as well as heavy and light weapons.

Quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the newspaper reported that a convoy of troops belonging to an Arab Gulf state recently arrived in the contact area between the Kurdish PKK/YPG and Daesh in the Deir Ez-Zor countryside.

This comes at a time when Ankara is preparing to launch an expanded military operation with the Free Syrian Army against the Kurdish PKK group in the northeast of Syria.

Furthermore, a Jordanian official reports that Russian forces currently in Syria will take action to restrain Hezbollah and Iranian activity there, according to understandings reached by the U.S., Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The understandings are the product of behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks that were underway prior to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision this week to withdraw American forces from Syria.

According to the terms of the understanding, Russia will continue to give Israel the freedom to strike Hezbollah and Iranian targets and weaponry that threaten the “balance of power” in Syria. According to the Jordanian official, it was these understandings between Trump and Putin that paved the way for the U.S. decision to pull its forces from Syria.

Other high-ranking Jordanian officials have confirmed that Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia are working together to contain the threat posed by Iran and Hezbollah’s presence in Syria. Several of them emphasized that U.S. officials had made it clear that U.S. intelligence agencies would increase cooperation with Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, particularly on sharing intelligence, in a joint attempt to counter Iran’s attempt to create a contiguous Shi’ite corridor from Tehran to Beirut.

Finally, Saudi Arabia is hosting Afghan peace talks, which are slated to take place next month.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday arrived in Kabul from three days of meetings in Abu Dhabi, including the fourth round of a quadrilateral meeting among the US, Afghanistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The meetings were part of efforts by the US and international partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in the landlocked country.

Meanwhile, reliable sources said decisions in the UAE centered on an amicable Afghan settlement and the next meeting would take place on January 15, 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps we will see if this regional-power approach is a better match for long-term success in 2019.

[Jimmy Snacks]

Maybe others can speak to this better than I but how much do we expect out Saudi and UAE forces? Also the article say US led coalition troops...thought we were pulling out? 

Edited December 25, 2018 by Jimmy Snacks

[Edmo]

3 minutes ago, Cop Watch said:

There have been some intriguing developments related to Syria that are now being reported in the wake of President Trump’s announcement of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

 

To begin with, it appears that the Kurds will be getting support from America’s regional allies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sent military forces to areas controlled by the Kurdish YPG group in north-east Syria, Turkey’s Yenisafak newspaper reported.

The paper said the forces will be stationed with US-led coalition troops and will support its tasks with huge military enforcements as well as heavy and light weapons.

Quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the newspaper reported that a convoy of troops belonging to an Arab Gulf state recently arrived in the contact area between the Kurdish PKK/YPG and Daesh in the Deir Ez-Zor countryside.

This comes at a time when Ankara is preparing to launch an expanded military operation with the Free Syrian Army against the Kurdish PKK group in the northeast of Syria.

Furthermore, a Jordanian official reports that Russian forces currently in Syria will take action to restrain Hezbollah and Iranian activity there, according to understandings reached by the U.S., Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The understandings are the product of behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks that were underway prior to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision this week to withdraw American forces from Syria.

According to the terms of the understanding, Russia will continue to give Israel the freedom to strike Hezbollah and Iranian targets and weaponry that threaten the “balance of power” in Syria. According to the Jordanian official, it was these understandings between Trump and Putin that paved the way for the U.S. decision to pull its forces from Syria.

Other high-ranking Jordanian officials have confirmed that Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia are working together to contain the threat posed by Iran and Hezbollah’s presence in Syria. Several of them emphasized that U.S. officials had made it clear that U.S. intelligence agencies would increase cooperation with Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, particularly on sharing intelligence, in a joint attempt to counter Iran’s attempt to create a contiguous Shi’ite corridor from Tehran to Beirut.

Finally, Saudi Arabia is hosting Afghan peace talks, which are slated to take place next month.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday arrived in Kabul from three days of meetings in Abu Dhabi, including the fourth round of a quadrilateral meeting among the US, Afghanistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The meetings were part of efforts by the US and international partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in the landlocked country.

Meanwhile, reliable sources said decisions in the UAE centered on an amicable Afghan settlement and the next meeting would take place on January 15, 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps we will see if this regional-power approach is a better match for long-term success in 2019.

There is so much behind the scenes stuff that we don’t even know is happening. It is comical to watch these guys and their biased media trip over themselves to try to make trump look bad though. Chaos!!!!!  

[Jimmy Snacks]

1 minute ago, Edmo said:

There is so much behind the scenes stuff that we don’t even know is happening. It is comical to watch these guys and their biased media trip over themselves to try to make trump look bad though. Chaos!!!!!  

Mattis left for a reason and if you had to choose who to believe would it be Mattis or Trump?

[Edmo]

Just now, Jimmy Snacks said:

Mattis left for a reason and if you had to choose who to believe would it be Mattis or Trump?

I think they just disagreed. Trump had always wanted the Middle East countries on our side to be more represented in these conflicts over there, and to be peacekeepers. He has said that from the beginning. It’s their backyard...

[DriftBusta]

13 minutes ago, Cop Watch said:

There have been some intriguing developments related to Syria that are now being reported in the wake of President Trump’s announcement of the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

 

To begin with, it appears that the Kurds will be getting support from America’s regional allies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sent military forces to areas controlled by the Kurdish YPG group in north-east Syria, Turkey’s Yenisafak newspaper reported.

The paper said the forces will be stationed with US-led coalition troops and will support its tasks with huge military enforcements as well as heavy and light weapons.

Quoting the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the newspaper reported that a convoy of troops belonging to an Arab Gulf state recently arrived in the contact area between the Kurdish PKK/YPG and Daesh in the Deir Ez-Zor countryside.

This comes at a time when Ankara is preparing to launch an expanded military operation with the Free Syrian Army against the Kurdish PKK group in the northeast of Syria.

Furthermore, a Jordanian official reports that Russian forces currently in Syria will take action to restrain Hezbollah and Iranian activity there, according to understandings reached by the U.S., Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The understandings are the product of behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks that were underway prior to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision this week to withdraw American forces from Syria.

According to the terms of the understanding, Russia will continue to give Israel the freedom to strike Hezbollah and Iranian targets and weaponry that threaten the “balance of power” in Syria. According to the Jordanian official, it was these understandings between Trump and Putin that paved the way for the U.S. decision to pull its forces from Syria.

Other high-ranking Jordanian officials have confirmed that Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia are working together to contain the threat posed by Iran and Hezbollah’s presence in Syria. Several of them emphasized that U.S. officials had made it clear that U.S. intelligence agencies would increase cooperation with Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, particularly on sharing intelligence, in a joint attempt to counter Iran’s attempt to create a contiguous Shi’ite corridor from Tehran to Beirut.

Finally, Saudi Arabia is hosting Afghan peace talks, which are slated to take place next month.

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Wednesday arrived in Kabul from three days of meetings in Abu Dhabi, including the fourth round of a quadrilateral meeting among the US, Afghanistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The meetings were part of efforts by the US and international partners to promote an intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at ending the conflict in the landlocked country.

Meanwhile, reliable sources said decisions in the UAE centered on an amicable Afghan settlement and the next meeting would take place on January 15, 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

Perhaps we will see if this regional-power approach is a better match for long-term success in 2019.

Wait!  You mean this isn’t as simple as the media made it sound?!  Shocker.

[Cop Watch]

Trump’s decisions on Syria and Afghanistan will lay bare the real distinctions in American politics. Political power in this country is not divided between right and left, and not even between rich and poor.

The real line is between a war party, and everyone else.

[Jimmy Snacks]

3 minutes ago, Edmo said:

I think they just disagreed. Trump had always wanted the Middle East countries on our side to be more represented in these conflicts over there, and to be peacekeepers. He has said that from the beginning. It’s their backyard...

Sure but now it sounds like Blackwater is going to play a role over there which means somebody is going to make a lot of money....Erik Prince who is the brother of Betsy Devos is no longer connected to BW but who really knows.

[Jimmy Snacks]

1 minute ago, Cop Watch said:

Trump’s decisions on Syria and Afghanistan will lay bare the real distinctions in American politics. Political power in this country is not divided between right and left, and not even between rich and poor.

The real line is between a war party, and everyone else.

As Trump increases our military footprint in Africa.

[Anler]

Just now, Jimmy Snacks said:

Sure but now it sounds like Blackwater is going to play a role over there which means somebody is going to make a lot of money....Erik Prince who is the brother of Betsy Devos is no longer connected to BW but who really knows.

Private military is going to take over the world. And our tax dollars are going to facilitate it. 

[Edmo]

4 minutes ago, Cop Watch said:

Trump’s decisions on Syria and Afghanistan will lay bare the real distinctions in American politics. Political power in this country is not divided between right and left, and not even between rich and poor.

The real line is between a war party, and everyone else.

Good post. You see that on here - Wanted us out of these places and are now second guessing the decision to do just that. 😮

[DriftBusta]

2 minutes ago, Anler said:

Private military is going to take over the world. And our tax dollars are going to facilitate it. 

A little bit of a stretch there dude...just the same, kind of eliminates the “sending our young men and women to die” narrative though.