Commentary
Trump has promised Belarus a massive potash deal. But Minsk is seeking something greater: restored Western transit and greater room for maneuver from Russia.
Balázs Jarábik
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Trump Said What? How Chaos on Turkey, Kurds, and Syria Could Work for U.S.
The United States should not commit massive resources to roll back Iranian influence in Syria. President Donald Trump’s call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have headed that off.
Published on Nov 27, 2017
Source: USA Today
President Trump’s phone call last week with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is evidence that the Marx Brothers were a better coordinated bunch than Trump and the others running foreign policy in this administration. The stumbles, bumbles and fumbles reflect a team that still lacks a coherent strategy toward Syria.
The president reportedly reassured the Turkish president that the U.S. would cease military support to the Kurdish militias. These were the forces the administration relied on, along with U.S. airpower, to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's caliphate, and on which it was pinning its hopes to pressure the Assad regime and contain Iran in Syria...
About the Authors
Richard Sokolsky
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program
Richard Sokolsky is a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program. His work focuses on U.S. policy toward Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.
Aaron David Miller
Senior Fellow, American Statecraft Program
Aaron David Miller is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on U.S. foreign policy.
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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