In recent news, President Donald Trump has spoken out, saying that he is going to remove troops from the Turkey-Syria border. Many are concerned about the removal of these troops out of fear that the Islamic State will resurge, as well as other concerns regarding how this will affect the relationship of the U.S. with its allies assisting U.S. troops. Many of Trump’s supporters in Congress have also expressed their disagreement with removing the troops. Some even expressing discontent about how this action could benefit Russian and Iranian allies. 

What’s the background on the situation? In 2011, massive protests took place in Syria against its government. The Syrian government had been run by the Assad family for more than four decades. The protests were repressed by government forces. This created an ideal environment for many political opposition groups to emerge. 

In an effort to combat the Islamic State, The U.S. provided support to certain groups with the same interests,  such as the Kurds. The Kurds and the U.S. have advanced to the northern part of the territory on the border with Turkey. 

Withdrawing the U.S. troops from the Turkish border will leave Syria vulnerable to an invasion from Turkey, causing the U.S. allies and the Kurds to collapse. It could also provide the perfect political environment for the Islamic State to regain power and territory. 

Another unwanted effect could be the message that other countries will receive, that helping the U.S. would not guarantee that the U.S. will uphold their allies when needed. In this case, we would leave allies that have been fighting alongside us on their own.

  Many members of U.S. troops and Kurdish families have lost their lives fighting the Islamic State. This conflict has taken countless lives and put many more at stake. Currently, it’s heavily debated on whether the U.S. should actually withdraw their troops or not. It is clear, however, that the impacts on the political global stage have created tension between the U.S. and its allies.