Removing the tripwire

During the Cold War American troops were stationed in West Germany.  They were not there in numbers that could halt a Soviet invasion.  The force was too small.  They were there as a warning.  The Soviet leaders knew that if the U.S.S.R. attacked, it would be attacking American troops and the United States would retaliate.  The troops were a “tripwire.”

U.S. troops in Syria have been serving the same function.  Our number one and most faithful ally in that area, the Kurds, who were a mainstay in the fight against ISIS, were threatened by Turkey.  Erdogan, the “strongman” of Turkey, hates the Kurds and would like to move against them.  He did not dare to do that as long as American troops were there.

Now, if I understand today’s news reports correctly, President Trump says he will withdraw all American troops from Syria.  He will pull the tripwire.  The Kurds will be left to twist slowly in the wind.  

I don’t know why we even have allies.  We are not reliable.  We are not dependable.  We are the equivalent of Neville Chamberlain writing off Czechoslovakia.