FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Some Progressive Democrats Back Syrian Troop Pull-Out
Dec. 24, 2018 (EIRNS)—President Trump’s decision to pull American troops out of Syria is being supported by sane Democrats in Congress, with key leaders of the Progressive Caucus stepping forward to slam the war-mongers’ response.
Hawaii Democrat and combat veteran Tulsi Gabbard tweeted on Dec. 21 that
“the hysterical reaction to the decision to withdraw troops from Syria is astonishing & shows just how attached to war some are. Lindsey Graham & others want us to continue our regime change war in Syria and to go to war with Iran. That’s why they’re so upset.”
She continued in a second tweet:
“Lindsey Graham and other neocons/neolibs who say our troops must remain in Syria are wrong. We need to get out of Syria ASAP in a responsible manner (it shouldn’t take long)....”
Rep. Ro Khanna, Vice Chair of the Progressive Caucus and a member of the Armed Services Committee, has been outspoken. He titled his Dec. 22 op-ed in the Washington Post “Trump Was Right To Pull Out of Syria and Afghanistan. This Is What He Should Do Next.”
Congressional Democrats “should not pile on” the criticism of the President for these decisions, Khanna wrote.
“We should applaud the President’s desire to put an end to these interventions, but should challenge him to assemble a team that does so with better planning and diplomacy. We should articulate a foreign policy doctrine of responsible withdrawal that prioritizes restraint and human rights,” he wrote.
Trump’s “decision is in compliance with U.S. and international law,” he continued.
“The presence of U.S. troops in the Syrian civil war was never authorized by Congress. We are also violating international law by invading Syria without the approval of the United Nations.”
Khanna went on:
“Trump also deserves credit for standing up to the war hawks within his own administration who started inventing rationales for remaining in the country: countering Iran and seeing an end to the Assad regime. That is the definition of mission creep.”
On Afghanistan, Khanna said that Trump’s “instincts as a candidate of ending the war and bringing our troops home were spot-on.... There should be a short timeline for bringing home our troops to allow for a smooth transition.” He backed direct talks with the Taliban and for bringing in regional actors such as Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China, and India to seek a negotiated settlement.
Khanna reported that he had spoken with Trump a few days ago, during the signing of a law. He told him, “Mr. President, China has not been in a war since 1979. If we want to win the race against them, we should not get bogged down in war.” Trump “nodded and then observed that they have enriched themselves without firing a shot,” Khanna observed.
“I am not pollyanna-ish about the deep partisan battles that divide us,” Khanna concluded,
“but when it comes to ensuring that America remains the global leader, with all that implies for freedom and democracy, let us take inspiration from [John Quincy] Adams and find common ground in a foreign policy of greater restraint, one that would entail responsibly extricating ourselves from bad wars. Let us focus on developing our capabilities and talents here at home to be a model for the world.”
