Cease Fire in Turkey Comes at High Price

Earlier this month, Election Central brought you the story of the Turkish invasion of northern Syria that has since become one of the most controversial foreign policy events of Trump’s presidency so far. Last week, Trump made headlines again by removing the economic sanctions that the U.S. had placed against Turkey, thus eliminating any consequence Turkey would have received for the invasion. Here, Election Central takes a closer look at what happened, how we got here, and why it matters.

So What Happened?

In early October, Turkish forces crossed the border and invaded the northern part of neighboring Syria. Syria is the site of a long and bloody civil war that has taken place mainly in the southern part of the country, meaning that many refugees have fled to the north and across the border into Turkey for safety. When Turkey invaded Syria earlier this month, however, they began attacking the Kurds, who tried to fight them off. Turkey claims that the Kurds are terrorists. But the Kurds are American allies, and have fought alongside Americans to subdue ISIS forces in Syria. Many Americans were outraged that the U.S. didn’t lend support to the Kurds as they attempted to battle back the Turkish invasion, which has displaced more than 176,000 people this month and killed thousands more.

The U.S. Role

The Trump administration decided to pull U.S. troops out of Northern Syria altogether–a move heavily criticized by Democratic and Republican leaders alike. Critics accused Trump and the White House of abandoning our allies during their time of need, and for making it easier for ISIS to regain a foothold in Syria. The White House responded by imposing the following economic sanctions against Turkey: halting a $100 billion trade deal; raising steel tariffs back up to 50 percent; and sanctioning several senior Turkish officials.

But as it turned out, the sanctions were only in place for a week. Last week, an agreement was reached between the Turkish president and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will remove all Kurdish forces from the Turkish border. Because of this ceasefire, Trump announced that the U.S. would be lifting all economic sanctions against Turkey. According to Trump, if Turkey doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain and respect religious and ethnic minorities (such as the Kurds), the sanctions will be re-imposed.

What’s the Response?

Now, Russian troops will occupy the area where U.S. troops used to be. This concerns political experts who fear the growth of Russian influence in the area. Meanwhile, many Republicans and Democrats in Congress have also expressed outrage that there now will be no punishment for Turkey for invading Syria and attacking our allies.

But Trump insists that the ceasefire in Syria is permanent and will garner lasting peace. Some U.S. troops will remain in Syria to protect U.S. oil fields there.

What Do You Think? Do you agree with Trump’s decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria and to lift economic sanctions against Turkey? Why or why not?