Views
12 | OCTOBER 31 • 2019
WHY AMERICA continued
from page 6
was committing went viral),
Obama had little choice but
to reverse course and com-
mit to fighting ISIS.
Trump made an issue
of the failure of Obama’
s
half-hearted campaign
against ISIS and vowed that
he would defeat the group.
And that’
s exactly what he
did after winning the 2016
election. But with ISIS large-
ly but not completely defeat-
ed, he has now reverted to
his instinctual isolationism,
vowing to escape any more
involvement in Syria and
leaving the Kurds to their
own devices after years of
promises by America that
they would not be aban-
doned.
Some Americans outside
the Beltway, including some
supporters of Israel, have
no problem with what he’
s
done in Syria because they
are blind supporters of the
president. Others share his
ignorance of a complex con-
flict and see no reason why
Americans should be part
of it.
As Obama found out after
ISIS atrocities aroused the
anger of the public, Trump
or his successor will have to
respond to Turkish atrocities
or those of the next Islamist
terror group that will fill the
vacuum he is creating by
withdrawing U.S. forces.
Islamist terror is an inter-
national problem, and not
just something Israelis and
Arabs have to worry about.
Israel can defend itself,
but actions that make its
neighborhood even more
dangerous undermine its
security. More than that,
allowing Turkey and Iran to
do as they like in the region
ultimately harms everyone,
including Americans who
have yet to absorb the fact
that their safety is no longer
ensured by the oceans that
separate them from other
continents. Unfortunately,
Republicans and Democrats
who still imagine that
Americans can simply go
home and avoid further
involvement in the wars of
the Middle East are engag-
ing in magical thinking
rather than supporting a
coherent strategy.
Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief
of JNS—Jewish News Syndicate.
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