Trump to withdraw US troops from Syria

[Mori Chu]

President Trump announces that the US will withdraw its troops from Syria. Top aides seem to have been taken by surprise by the announcement. Did he just wake up and decide to do this by himself?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... -iran-isis

[Mori Chu]

Another article about it. Trying to find less clearly-US-left/right-partisan sources on it because it's about foreign policy stuff.

https://www.economist.com/middle-east-a ... t-of-syria

[Indy]

When Putin is fighting a war in Syria, and then says it is good that we are pulling out, you know the answer...

[Flagrant Fowl]

I'm surprised it's taken this long. I mean, Trump can't have a hotel in Syria with it being a war zone at the moment.

[Indy]

Mattis resigns in protest. Wow.

[Mori Chu]

This Mattis resignation is a big deal. Arguably the highest-profile person in Trump's entire cabinet, just gone. And his resignation letter, while carefully politely worded, is a huge eff-you to Trump.

If any sort of national security crisis happens in the near future, we are completely screwed. This is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

[Nodack]

They were calling Mattis’s resignation letter a 21 gun F you.

I am not sure how I really feel about it.

[ShelC]

Even the Rs were taken aback by the decision, which Trump pretty much woke up and decided on. He apparently didn't consult anyone and just tweeted it out. Graham looked especially shaken up during a press conference but he'll go along with everything anyway. Still, it was nice to see them have an "oh shit what have we done" moment because this could really backfire in more ways than one. And it clearly plays into Russia (and Iran's) favor so now it looks even more like Trump is playing to Putin.