>>> WE ARE BACK WITH BREAKING NEWS.
NEWS. KEY REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS
OUTRAGED OVER THE SURPRISE NEWS
THAT THE UNITED STATES IS
CONSIDERING A SIGNIFICANT
WITHDRAWAL OF FORCES FROM WAR
RAVAGED SYRIA.
RAVAGED SYRIA. PRESIDENT TRUMP TWEETED TODAY,
QUOTE, WE HAVE DEFEATED ISIS IN
SYRIA, MY ONLY REASON FOR BEING
THERE DURING THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY AND NOT A VIEW SHARED
BY THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
RELEASING A STATEMENT IN PART,
QUOTE, THE COALITION HAS
LIBERATED THE ISIS-HELD
TERRITORY, BUT THE CAMPAIGN
AGAINST ISIS IS NOT OVER.
AROUND 2,000 TROOPS ON THE
GROUND IN SYRIA, MANY WORKING TO
TRAIN LOCAL FORCES TO FIGHT
ISIS.
ISIS. "THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAYS
PENTAGON OFFICIALS ARE TRYING TO
TALK TRUMP OUT OF THE PROPOSAL
AND ARGUE IT’S A SIGNIFICANT
NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY SHIFT
THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY SEED
FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN SYRIA TO
RUSSIA AND IRAN AT A TIME WHEN
AMERICAN POLICY COMES FOR
CHALLENGING BOTH COUNTRIES.
THE UNITED STATES IS FIGHTING
ALONG KURD-LED FORCES IN SYRIA
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
PRESIDENT OBAMA HAD BEEN
RELUCTANT TO GET INVOLVED.
TWO THINGS CHANGED THAT.
ISIS GAINED A FOOTHOLD IN THE
COUNTRY CONTROLLING SEVERAL
CITIES AND TOWNS.
SECOND, THE BASHAR AL ASSAD
REGIME ATTACKED REBELS WITH GAS
AND WASN’T UNTIL 2014 WHEN
CONGRESS APPROVED A PLAN TO ARM
AND TRAIN REBELS IN SYRIA THAT
THE UNITED STATES BEGAN AIR
STRIKES TARGETING ISIS IN SYRIA
AND GOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE
FIGHT.
FIGHT. ACCORDING TO "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" IT IS ESTIMATED MORE THAN
500,000 PEOPLE HAVE DIED AS A
RESULT OF THE CONFLICT IN SYRIA
AND THERE ARE MILLIONS OF
REFUGEES.
REFUGEES. JOINING US LIVE, JANE HARMON,
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE WOODROW
WILSON CENTER.
WILSON CENTER. THERE ARE UNDERSTANDABLE REASONS
OF A LOT OF AMERICANS WHO THINK
THIS IS A USELESS WAR.
WHY ARE WE INVOLVED THERE, WHY
ARE WE INVOLVED IN AFGHANISTAN
AND WE KEEP GETTING INVOLVED?
THE REALITY IS WHEN YOU DON’T
HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN FAILED
STATES, OTHERS WILL.
>> CORRECTLY.
>> CORRECTLY. EXACTLY!
EXACTLY! I THINK YOU NAILED IT IN THE
INTRODUCTION, ALI.
INTRODUCTION, ALI. TWO THOUGHTS.
TWO THOUGHTS. I THINK WE NEED TROOPS, AT LEAST
THESE TRAINERS, IN SYRIA MUCH
MORE THAN WE NEED OUR TROOPS
ALONG THE MEXICAN BORDER.
THAT WOULD BE ONE THOUGHT.
BUT MY SECOND THOUGHT IS, THAT
I’M BETTING PRESIDENT TRUMP
LOOKED AT HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE
LIST THIS WEEK AND SAW THAT HE’S
NOT GETTING HIS WALL SO WHAT’S
ANOTHER UNFULFILLED PROMISE?
THAT IS GETTING TROOPS OUT OF
SYRIA.
SYRIA. HE SURPRISED HIS MIDDLE EAST
ADVISER, HE SURPRISED THE
PENTAGON AND A LOT OF
REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE AND I
REALLY DON’T THINK THAT THE
DECISION IF IT IS FOLLOWED
THROUGH ON MAKES ANY SENSE FOR
THE REASONS YOU SAID.
IT CREATES A VACUUM.
IT ALSO DESERTED OUR ALLY THE
KURDS WHO FOUGHT FIERCELY
ALONGSIDE US TO LIBERATE IRAQ
AND WHY ARE WE WALKING AWAY FROM
THEM?
THEM? AND THE TURKS, YES, HAVE SOME
FEUD WITH SOME KURDISH CLANS BUT
THE ONES WHO HAVE HELPED US ARE
ONES WHO ARE TRULY AMERICAN
ALLIES AND WHOM WE SHOULD GIVE A
BIG THANK YOU TO.
>> YOU UNDERSTAND THIS AND TALK
ABOUT FOREIGN RELATIONS AND
STILL DO.
STILL DO. THE ERROR WE OFTEN MAKE, AND A
LOT OF PRESIDENTS HAVE MADE
THIS, IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT -- I
WANT TO SHOW -- PUT UP A MAP OF
THE STRONGHOLDS THAT ISIS HAS
BEEN FOESRCED OUT.
FORCING ISIS OUT OF ALEPPO AND
IDLIB AND PLACES LIKE THAT AND
THAT FEELS LIKE MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED, WE SOMETIMES DON’T
FINISH THE JOB.
THE IDEA THAT --
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. >> -- ISIS MAY HAVE BEEN
DEFEATED IN THE STRONGHOLDS
DOESN’T MEAN SYRIA IS STABLE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. SYRIA ISN’T STABLE.
SYRIA IS LED BY A GUY THAT USED
POISON GAS ON HIS OWN PEOPLE AND
WE PLEDGED, I KNOW IT WAS IN THE
DREADED OBAMA ADMINISTRATION, TO
HELP MOVE HIM OUT.
I GUESS WE’VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT
THAT.
THAT. I KNOW THAT’S A HARD PROBLEM BUT
IF WE MOVE ISIS OUT OF ONE PLACE
ISIS WILL GO TO THE NEXT FAILED
PLACE.
PLACE. POSSIBLY IN SYRIA.
WHICH IS STILL STRUGGLING.
I MEAN, WITH MASSIVE, MILLIONS
OF REFUGEES, HEMORRHAGING INTO
NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES AND
DESTABILIZING THEM.
DESTABILIZING THEM. BUT NOT ONLY THAT, ISIS WILL
REGROUP IN SYRIA AND ATTACK
ELSEWHERE.
ELSEWHERE. THIS IS NOT A GOOD MOVIE.
LET’S NOT JUST FOCUS ON ISIS AND
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED I REMEMBER
WAS A SIGN ON AN AIRCRAFT
CARRIER THAT I’M SURE GEORGE W.
BUSH WISHES HE’D NEVER PUT UP
THERE BUT LET’S ALSO FOCUS ON
RUSSIA WHICH IS NOW SABER
RATTLING IN THE ARCTIC AND
CLAIMING IT’S GOING TO RENEW ITS
INTERMEDIATE RANGE MISSILES
BECAUSE WE ARE PULLING OUT OF
THAT TREATY.
THAT TREATY. RUSSIA WILL HAVE FREE REIN IN
SYRIA AND ALIGN WITH IRAN AND
MIGHT DO AND HAVE BIGGER
INFLUENCE WITH IRAN IN THE
MIDDLE EAST AND SOMETHING WE
DON’T WANT TO HAPPEN.
>> HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE NON INTERVENTIONISTS OR
LIBERTARIANS OR JUST ANGRY WE
HAVE BEEN AT WAR IN A PURPLES
WAY FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE FOR A
LONG TIME, HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN
THAT?
THAT? WHAT’S THE AMERICAN
JUSTIFICATION FOR A MILITARY
PRESENCE IN WHICH PEOPLE DO GET
KILLED IN PLACES LIKE THIS THAT
SEEM TO HAVE NO ANSWER OR NO
ANSWER FOR THE FORESEEABLE
FUTURE?
FUTURE? >> I THINK YOU SAY WE WERE
ATTACKED ON 9/11.
I THINK EVERYBODY GETS THAT.
WE UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT THE
WHOLE WORLD INCLUDING IRAN
OFFERED TO HELP US.
WE DID BASED ON FLAWED
INTELLIGENCE GO IN TO IRAQ AND
WE ARE PAYING A HUGE PRICE FOR
THAT.
THAT. BUT IN ADDITION TO THAT, FAILED
AND FAILING GOVERNMENTS
THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE
SPAWNED A MUCH LARGER AND MORE
COMPLEX TERROR MOVEMENT WHICH IS
PLEDGED TO ATTACK US AND OUR
INTERESTS IN THE REGION AND IN
AMERICA OR, YOU KNOW, ALONG OUR
BORDERS IF THEY CAN GET THERE.
WE NEED TO HAVE A PRESENCE.
WE NEED TO HAVE A STRATEGY ALONG
WITH OUR PRESENCE WHICH COMES UP
WITH IN THE END IT SEEMS TO ME A
WAY TO HELP GOVERNMENTS HELP
THEMSELVES IN THE REGION AND