A Hasty Withdrawal: Assessing US Options in Syria

On a late night phone call with his counterpart in Turkey, President Donald Trump announced that he would withdraw American forces from Syria. Again. In a repeat of what happened last December, the United States policy community is once again struggling to keep up with its unpredictable commander in chief, and the prospect of a Turkish operation to fight America's partner forces against Islamic State, the Syrian Democratic Forces, is prompting broader questions about U.S. policy in Syria, narrowly, and the formulation and execution of American foreign policy, more broadly.  In light of this development FPRI's Middle East Director Aaron Stein assesses U.S. options in Syria.