When it seems that President Trump is putting America on the right path for foreign policy, neoconservatives want Trump to revert back to the usual interventionist programming.
Syria is now the spot where hawks want Trump to take stronger action in light of recent events.
According to a ZeroHedge report, the U.S. government sharply criticized the Russian and Syrian government’s actions as they ramped up airstrikes within the Idlib province in northwest Syria.
In September 2018, the Russian-Syrian coalition was preparing for another assault on the Al-Qaeda dominated province. However, this campaign would be scrapped after the Trump administration threatened to use another military strike against the Syrian government.
Fast forward to the present, and a State Department spokesperson said that “Indiscriminate attacks on civilians and public infrastructure such as schools, markets, and hospitals is a reckless escalation of the conflict and is unacceptable.”
The spokesperson capped this condemnation off by saying that “The violence must end.”
According to international coverage of recent events in Syria, 200 civilian deaths have occurred since the Syrian government has stepped up its attacks. The threat of “Iranian expansion” worries many neoconservative elites in Washington D.C. due to Iran’s alliance with Russia and Syria. Iran keeps D.C. elites up at night because of the increased activity of its proxy forces in the Middle East. In response, the U.S. government deployed a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Persian Gulf region to confront Iran and its proxies.
A bipartisan coalition of elected officials delivered a letter to President Trump demanding that his administration assert itself more in Syria. Among their concerns were Russian intervention, Iranian expansion, and extremist group activity.
Syria is another foreign policy adventure that the U.S. should withdraw out of. Neoconservative elements within the Trump administration and defense interests relish at the prospect of getting America entangled in another foreign conflict. However, the President’s role is very clear in foreign policy. The buck stops with Trump, which means that he can derail any interventionist plots from the likes of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton.
If America First is the goal, interventionist schemes should be last.
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