Where are the Troops?
The US still has troops in Syria, Iraq, Cuba, and Afghanistan.
He has not ended any wars or completely removed US troops from any country in the Mideast.
Stars and Stripes had these statements by US central command, Centcom chief, Marine General Kenneth McKenzie.
- “I don’t know how long we’re going to be in Syria. That’s going to be a political decision. Not a military decision to be made by a uniformed officer.
- I don’t think we’re going to be in Syria forever”.
I don’t believe we will be there forever either, but it sure seems like.
The US invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003 to destroy weapons of mass destruction that were not there. We have been in Iraq ever since.
The Iraq War Timeline
In March 2003, U.S. forces invaded Iraq vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and end the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. When WMD intelligence proved illusory and a violent insurgency arose, the war lost public support. Saddam was captured, tried, and hanged and democratic elections were held. In the years since, there have been over 4,700 U.S. and allied troop deaths, and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians have been killed. Meanwhile, questions linger over Iraq’s fractious political situation.
The US killed over 100,000 Iraqi civilians on a witch hunt. The process led to the formation of ISIS and further US military interventions in Syria.
Trump did not start any of that, but nor did he end it.
In January 2020, Iraq Voted to Expel US Troops, but we are still there.
The vote came after Trump assassinated Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s military leader.
Ironically, Soleimani was on a peace mission in Iraq invited by the Iraq prime minister.
Warmonger fools like senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) piled on, pressuring Trump to ‘Crush Iranian Economy’ By Targeting Oil Refineries After Assassination
Hey, let’s carry out an illegal assassination and then for good measure, in an undeclared war, follow up by blasting Iranian oil refineries.
Iran would be stupid to not want nuclear weapons. We knocked their government over before and put in place a puppet who abided by US oil interests. This started a chain of events including the hostage crisis in 1979.
They have every reason to not trust the US. And no country with any sense can trust Trump.
US War in Afghanistan Timeline
The US War in Afghanistan started in 1999.
The sad saga has lasted over two decades. We are still there, but we won’t be there “forever” whatever the hell that means.
I actually suspect Trump may pull a stunt and bring troops home in October as an election ploy, but at this juncture he will get almost no credit.
Trump has long vowed to withdraw all U.S. forces from both Iraq and Syria. “We’re bringing them home from Syria. We’re bringing them home from Iraq. These endless wars, they never stop,” Trump said on Fox news.
“Endless Wars Never Stop”
Indeed they don’t. And Trump gets his share of the blame especially in regards to promised made and not kept.
If you answered “Zero” to the question “How many wars did Trump end” give yourself 2 points out of 100, but negative 20 if you got it wrong.
The question was too easy.
How Many Wars Has Trump Started?
If you answered “zero” you flunk.
Trump’s illegal and unfounded economic blockade on Iran have the same effect if not greater than a military blockade. And a military blockade is an act of war.
Trump may not have sent any troops into Iran but his economic war has been crippling.
By unilaterally breaking the nuclear treaty with Iran, Trump undid the single best accomplishment in 8 years of an Obama presidency.
The US military, all US allies, and the UN all agreed that Iran was honoring the terms of the nuclear accord with Iran.
Trump acted alone. He is a military menace to the free world.
Venezuela is another example. One might even consider threats against the EU over the Russia pipeline.
Give yourself a bonus 10 bonus points if you understand the concept.
Shocking End to US Dominance in the Mideast
On August 17, I commented on the Shocking End to US Dominance in the Mideast
US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo pressed US allied in the UN to extend an arms embargo against Iran. The US failed 13-2 or more accurately 2-2-11 (Russia and China voting against) with 11 abstentions.
Germany, France, the United Kingdom and eight others abstained. Only the Dominican Republic, supported the US resolution in a in a Humiliating UN Vote.
The most powerful countries in the world and the current representatives of the main global blocs just sided with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei against Donald J. Trump.
Trumpian Logic
Trump threatens to unilaterally impose an embargo arguing that the US has the legal authority to re-impose sanctions on Iran under UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
Trump unilaterally withdrew from that treaty. Now it wants to enforce part of it.
The Winner
China in particular appears determined to risk US sanctions in order to make a huge investment in the Iranian economy. The US Treasury Department can only sanction firms that trade in dollars with Iran or that also trade with the US. China intends its projects in Iran to be funded with soft-money currencies it has accumulated through its vast global trade. In accepting those African and other currencies, Iran will suffer a 30% loss, but it will escape the American net.
Trump’s Six-Point Legacy
- Bully Allies
- Belittle Friends
- Break Good Deals
- Invoke Disastrous Trade and Sanction Policies
- Amplify Racial Hatred
- Drive Countries Into Deals With China
In regard to points 4 and 6, Trump’s trade and sanction policies have been a disaster on every front.
All of our allies thought the nuclear accord deal with Iran was working, every one of them.
7th Key Legacy Point
Trump started a war with Iran.
His alleged main accomplishment, not starting any wars, is a drastic perversion of reality.
So spare me the sap about Trump bringing peace to the Mideast.
Mish
I never taught that a war can exist where you don’t have any troops deployed. So anything can be define as a war?? I though the definition of war is to military forces are battle each other firing guns, tanks, planes like WHAT HAPPENED TO IRAQ. War with no troops hahaha
Soo…. Technically He started no wars but in your humble woke opinion he’s responsible for all of them?
Um – clearly a political, leftist has who wrote this article. A trade war is not the same as a missiles or “boots on the ground, etc. type of War. He cleaned up Obummer’s mess with Al Qaida, Afghanistan that was Slick Willy’s fiasco and others. Pathetic article, desperate writer.
“Trump threatens to retaliate with ‘1,000 times greater’ force against any Iran attack”
..and that’s what kept us from going to war.
“or completely removed US troops from any country in the Mideast.”
So WHAT? That’s now how you determine if wars are ended.
We still have troops in GERMANY and ITALY. Are you trying to say those wars haven’t ended?
Stop being such a leftist hosebeast.
All Government Is Evil https://www.lewrockwell.com/2020/01/gary-d-barnett/all-government-is-evil/
It would have been good if the house of Saud was encouraged to cease their activities in Yemen. Or any of the forever engagements Mish cited were ended. Or the decision was made to close a couple post-WWII bases. Or ‘defense’ spending decreased. Or…
In the end, #45 could have done many beneficial things but did next to nothing positive. Sadly, that was an improvement over #44 and #43 in this arena. Is there a reason to expect #46 will be noticeably different (let alone better) when there hasn’t even been lip service paid to doing any of these things?
Mish redefines the word “war” . . . .
The proof is plain for all to see. Trump did not start or stop any wars. Democrats on the other hand have shown us all that where ever they are in charge, they turn America into Iraq. If you want America to look like Iraq or Mogadishu vote Democrat, and they will bring to your town what they brought to NYC, Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, Portland and every other Democratic run third world city and State….
Trump has stated publicly he wants to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan but left the date in the air.
There are peace negotiations going between Afghanistan government and Taliban and if these are successful he might withdraw all troops or most troops in late October as October surprise.
Troop levels will be cut almost 50% in Iraq and Afghanistan and that decision has already been made:
From AP:
“During a visit to Iraq, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, said the reduction in Iraq — from about 5,200 troops to about 3,000 — reflects the Trump administration’s confidence in the ability of U.S.-trained Iraqi security forces to handle the militant threat from the Islamic State group.
Later, McKenzie said troop levels in Afghanistan would drop to 4,500 by November. He made the statement in a telephone call with a small group of reporters, according to officials at his Central Command office.
“We’re on a glide slope to be at 4,500 by the November time frame — October, late October, November time frame,” he said, according to a transcript made available by his office. He said the path to 4,500 would be determined in part by the military’s ability to get equipment out of the country.”
—
“The U.S. had reduced its presence in Afghanistan to 8,600 in June and was known to plan further reductions, although McKenzie had not previously cited a projected number. He gave no exact date for reaching the 4,500 level; he said a specific date has been targeted but he would not reveal it.”
Pay attention to what Trump does, not what he says. He’s all over the place in his tweets and statements but he has no problem throwing more and more money at the MIC. So far all of his “withdrawals” have been hot air, just shifting troops around the neighboring areas.
I don’t sap means what you think it does.
Meanwhile, Biden is facing the release of the Senate report on how he used his office to facilitate corrupt business deals to make millions for his son. I will bet anything that is a subject Mish will not touch because he is a tool for the globalists who want Biden in office, so they can continue to undermine America without opposition…..
This is one of those issues that I see Rand Paul lying about. Senator Paull continues to promote this false narrative that Trump is ending these wars, but he hasn’t. He continues them and doesn’t bring much light to them. Obviously we know the situation in Syria isn’t what Trump or Senator Paul is telling us as the Pentagon sends more force to Syria. Why Paul has to lie about this is beyond me except that I have to realize Paul obviously thinks by embracing Trumpism, he has a shot for 2024. I don’t see that happening.
What’s even more fascinating is Paul has supported bills to stop arming the Saudis and to pull troops out of Yemen. Trump has vetoed these efforts.
USA sent just 100 new troops to Syria.
The stated reason is because Russians are coming to areas they have no right to be in.
There has been some encounters between Russians and kurdish troops among which US soldiers are embedded near the line that Russians should not cross in areas controlled by Syrian government (Syrian government checkpoints) where kurds can now move freely through checkpoints because Kurds and Syrian government made an alliance to attack turkish troops together if they enter Syria and Syrian government sent troops and tanks to the kurdish areas near Turkey that Erdogan wanted to take in Turkey’s control.
Kurds and Syrian government making an alliance is GOOD for USA and for Syria and this happened because Trump withdrew troops from areas near Turkey’s border with Syria and everyone yelled that the sky will fall but within a week Kurds and Syrian government had made an alliance against Turkey.
Trump withdrew most US troops from Syria but left some embedded with Kurds (to direct airstrikes if needed) and train them further and Trump left some to guard the oilfields Kurds now control and that used to be controlled by ISIS under Obama and that ISIS used to fund their caliphate and that Obama did NOTHING to stop.
ISIS destruction was started by Trump bombing the ISIS oil truck convoys going to Turkey which had been allowed to go on for years under Obama and another good move was arming of Kurds by Trump and then bombing ISIS areas before Kurds attacked and took them over was good and now ISIS has been 100% destroyed territorially and Trump even got Al-Baghdadi killed that was hiding near Turkey’s border in an area of Syria that is controlled by turkish ethnicity Syrians loyal to Erdogan.
Seems to me the only thing that is certain in the ME is that one bunch of despots replaces another bunch. We arm one side and call them the good guys. A bit later we realise they’re not so good and either make noises about withdrawing troops or we start arming another bunch of “good guys”.
“The stated reason is because Russians are coming to areas they have no right to be in.”
Russia is an ally to Syria. What do you mean they have no right there? They have more right to be there than we do.
The fact there are still troops in Syria almost four years into the Trump presidency after years of Trump attacking Obama for having troops there says everything I need to know.
Kurds have an agreement with Syrian government that Russian troops that move quite freely in Syrian government controlled areas do not come near the Kurdish controlled areas and do not enter the Kurdish controlled areas.
In these cases the Russian troops were where they should NOT be per the agreement between Kurds and Syrian government aka near the Kurdish controlled areas.
It might be that the russians just had some vodka and drove to the wrong area but it also might be that russians are planning something.
Everyone should remember that Russians tried attacking a kurdish area a few years back and Trump and US government and US army/airforce ordered airstrikes that killed about 300 Russian soldiers in Syria after the US soldiers embedded with the kurds asked for air backup.
I hate to tell you this, but the United States military was not invited into Syrian borders by the Syrian government. You know if you want to talk about illegal occupations. Hey, the United States government loves to ignore those words “common defense” in our Constitution as we play empire.
For me to feel your pain, you have to make the case we are legally in Syria. You can’t.
I wish it was better understood how much these wars of occupation….and the endless saber-rattling here there and everywhere…..costs each and every citizen, in terms of taxes, in terms of lower subsidies for our social and medical safety nets……and how much it costs to treat and support the maimed and the psychologically disabled…over the long run. It is a trade-off we make…and I don’t think many people think about that.
Bush 43 cut income taxes twice, in 2001 and 2003 in spite of the wars that he started in 2001 (Afghanistan) and 2003 (Iraq). Americans never got the bills. In 2003, more Bush supporters were concerned about stopping gay marriage than about Federal deficits. As you may recall, Bush did much better in the 2004 election than in 2000.
Not sure where you were in 2003, but I was self-employed, and I paid a shit ton of tax. And I’ve been paying ever since. The real middle class, the doctors and lawyers and small business people who make $100K to $1M….pay (and have paid) exorbitant taxes, for my entire adult life. The so-called tax cuts (Reagan, Bush, Trump….all of them) have not been engineered to help us. In case you don’t know, we’re the ones paying most of the freight.
The poor pay no net tax….the real rich have plenty of ways to avoid taxes. Especially those who derive their income from managing other people’s money.
The middle class (and I don’t mean people who work for a corporation and make $60K) pays and pays.
The combined cost of the mid-east wars since 2001 has been about $6.4 Trillion bucks. We haven’t come close to paying for any of it. Even now, the interest on the debt consumes 8% of every tax dollar. Every American taxpayer owes $215K in government debt. The total national debt is nearly $28 Trillion dollars.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Lots of Americans who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan or maimed are the result of Obama’s idiotic “win hearts and minds” strategy that ordered US troops to walk around in villages in both Iraq and Afghanistan to “win hearts and minds” and this made them sitting ducks to be shot and bombed by Talebans in Afghanistan and Shia-militias and ISIS/Al-Qaida in Iraq.
Under Obama’s orders US troops were even ordered to enter buildings where nobody seemed to be at home and this led to boobytrapped houses that exploded once American troops entered them.
Obama was totally clueless and the generals under Obama that allowed this idiotic strategy to be implemented instead of telling Obama that it is not wise and should not be used should be stripped of their military ranks and pensions.
I have a hard time blaming that on Obama personally (although I am no fan of Obama). The US has been using that kind of approach since Vietnam…and it doesn’t work because it’s built on the worst kind of false narrative……that people in other countries will be eager to embrace American “democracy” as soon as they understand it and get out from under the thumb of whatever despot is keeping them down.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is where empires go to die. It beat the British, It beat the Soviets. It beat the freakin’ Mongols……Ghenghis Khan’s grandson died there in 1221.
I knew the day after 9-11 we were going to make some really, really bad mistakes over what happened…….but it has surpassed all my expectations for waste and stupidity.
Isn’t this war stuff so deep down in the elite/banker/globablist milieu (as hinted by NZYANK & Duncan above) that mere Presidents have little control of it?
NDAA2020 passed easily, which means unending wars are fully funded. Here in MA, we’re loaded with DoD contractor/lab beneficiaries, and Members voted accordingly (sans Warren who sat didn’t vote during her run). Ending wars puts people out of jobs.
Actually Trump demand that European NATO countries must follow the NATO rules they agreed to when joining aka x% of GDP must be used for defense/military should replace the demand for military equipment lost if USA wages less wars since Almost every European NATO country has been breaking their NATO agreement for tens of years and spend -50% less than they should according to the NATO agreement that they accepted when joining.
Trump is right to DEMAND they honor their NATO commitments because it means more demand for US military hardware and brings jobs and tax revenue to USA and is better for Europe as well because it works as an incentive for Russia to not get any ideas.
“In the years since, there have been over 4,700 U.S. and allied troop deaths, and more than one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians have been killed.” And let’s not forget the horribly maimed survivors of roadside bombs and other destructive weaponry. But the war criminal George W. Bush is now embraced by Michelle Obama and the Democrats, merely because he opposes Trump. And the senile Biden can’t recall if he voted to invade Iraq or Iran.
Spot on. Questions raised:
Mish has gone Jane Fonda on us! 🙂 Solecism: “Iran would be stupid not want nuclear weapons” – should read – “Iran would be stupid to not want nuclear weapons”.
Actually I agree that Trump is stupid, but killing that Iranian general was genius. It’s something a medieval country like modern Persia can understand quite clearly, putative “peace mission” (yeah right, a Iranian general on a peace mission? oxymoron) or not. And they should not be allowed to have nuclear weapons anymore than Upper Volta should, as Gorby once said. It’s bad enough that Israel has nuclear weapons, much worse if her Middle East neighbors do.
Killing the Iranian General was reckless. Maybe you forgot but the world was very tense after the targetted killing. There was a lot of back door channelling to prevent escalation where the united states eventually communicated that if the response was restrained the u.s. would look the other way. This could have easily gone out of control to the point of armed conflict a war Donald Trump himself said he does not want.
Yes its clear why Iran would want Nuclear Weapons. Same as North Korea it protects them from an American response. And while I think its in America’s and the world’s interest that both don’t obtain or keep them Trump has done nothing to accomplish that goal. The Iran deal was and is far superior to Trump’s alternative. If the Iran deal had a failing is it did not go far enough to bring Iran in and curtail its missile development or funding of Hezbollah but to make the perfect be the enemy of the good makes no sense. What Trump has done is weaken Iranian moderates and embolden the radicals.
“Killing the Iranian General was reckless.”
That Trump guy sure lacks “empathy” for terrorists!
The Iranian General who replaced Soleimani will think twice before continuing to pay bounties for every American soldier killed by Iran backed shia militias in Iraq.
It is reckless that Obama allowed Soleimani and Iran to arm shia militias in Iraq and train them and then pay bounty for each American soldier killed by shia militias in Iraq and did nothing.
I think about how many trade wars trump has started , none of them ended. i think about the apparent riskiness of many of trump’s gambits and how close we may have gotten to conflict with Iran and North Korea to name two.
Ronald Reagan escalated with Russia, vastly increased military funding and a buildup which helped break the USSR and brought about peace with Russia, Unfortunately mistakes were made by future Presidents which ended that but that’s another matter. Nothing Trump is doing feels remotely similar.
Of course Trump got two Arab nations who were not at war to sign a peace deal with Israel. That hardly counts or obvious reasons.
Trump may be the most dangerous President we’ve had in generations.
These are the most severe and longest lasting sanctions the US has levied against any country, ever. They also failed spectacularly, because it’s easily the most stupid and counter-productive policy imaginable, a key reason the Cuban regime is still in power. Plus it drives the island into the arms of China and Russia. https://www.telldunkin.one/
A “Christian” country starving a needy people’s government into submission doesn’t seem very “Christian”.
I think the only solution now is to give the democrats complete control and get him out. They will clean this mess up and return us to complete prosperity.
I think Harris will make the world a better place.
The Great Divider has started a war within the United States, civil unrest not seen since the 60’s. This is a war of the worst kind. He had a chance to bring this country together, instead his choice is self promotion, hate and lies. This is what authoritarian presidents do.
FYI, Obama is no longer the president.
Well, compared to Hillary who made bank through the Clinton Foundation and Biden whose son makes bank in China, Ukraine, etc., YES, Trump does get little in return. But that’s kind of how people like it!
“Trump threatens to retaliate with ‘1,000 times greater’ force against any Iran attack”
“will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen”
Ever since the Code of Ur-Nammu (>4000 years ago) and the Codex Hammurabi, all legal codes have sought to limit such retribution. It is literally the most basic thing in civilization: curbing positive feed-back cycles of internecine vengeance and vendetta violence as the ‘great ones’ pay back any slight one hundred fold, prevailing by reputation (terror).
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”
Retribution should be measured and proportional, modern people would say.
The ‘eye for an eye’ is perpetually misunderstood as encouraging vengeance.
It was intended to limit the maximum amount of retribution that could be exacted.
Trump breaks with 4000 years of civilizing directives.
Good comment. That sounds just like Rene Girard, a
very clever anthropologist, on violence
“The US still has troops in Syria, Iraq, Cuba, and Afghanistan.”
Let me help you with that:
United States military deployments
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
“The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with approximately 165,000 of its active-duty personnel permanently assigned outside the United States and its territories excluding Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.”
And, Trump has repeatedly tried to insert US troop into Venezeula (in addition to imposing an Illegal Wold Trade Embargo) so that you – Mish – may constantly spread Fake News by falsely attributing the resulting economic hardships her people endure to it’s Socialism, instead of the real actual cause – illegal American military and economic aggression. Note: President Obama officially declared Venezeula a “Threat to US National Security” for offering free healthcare to it’s citizens, so Trump is just following up on Obama’s war of aggression on works folks.
‘Trump’s illegal and unfounded economic blockade on Iran have the same effect if not greater than a military blockade. And a military blockade is an act of war. ‘
Add to that his shortsighted strengthening of the 60 year old sanctions against Cuba,
to please some geriatric but wealthy ‘Cuban’-American hardliners in Miami. These are the most severe and longest lasting sanctions the US has levied against any country, ever. They also failed spectacularly, because it’s easily the most stupid and counter-productive policy imaginable, a key reason the Cuban regime is still in power. Plus it drives the island into the arms of China and Russia. The place is only 90 miles from the US mainland – but hey, that’s an irrevelant detail for our very stable genius and his expert crew.
Yes Trump put sanctions on Iran and Obama gave them Billions of Dollars.