Trumps Road to Damascus
Hello from Atlanta,
President Trump is already acting like he is already President and world leaders don't seem to mind. You only had to look at his interactions in Paris at the Notre Dame with Macron, Zelensky and Prince William to know that The Donald is well and truly back.
Trump's statement that America shouldn't get involved in Syria was not surprising but even for an isolationist and non-interventionist he might find it hard to step back. Don't forget US troops, special forces and intelligence operatives have been there for years fighting ISIS and supporting the Kurds.
Syria's future impacts America national security because of what it means for the regimes in Moscow and Tehran (losers) and allies in Jerusalem, Istanbul and Riyadh (winners.)
Will there be a fragmentation in Syria? A hard Balkanization? Or a soft decoupling like in Libya? What does that mean for the geopolitical puzzle pieces that make up the post-Ottoman empire?
Trump may want to steer clear but, ever the real estate mogul, he just find it in America's interests to play some sort of role in the potential remodeling of Syria's future entity. Ally Israel is already taking the initiative, pushing forward and redecorating.
2025 is going to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants year and Syria is just a little taste of what's to come.
Best,
Robyn