<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>Ted Lieu and Ro Khanna have praised Trump's announcement. <br></div><div><br></div><div>Khanna: </div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/1075570933237202944" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/RoKhanna/status/1075570933237202944</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Lieu was first. We did a petition in support of Lieu's statement yesterday.</div><div><br></div><div>Stand w @TedLieu: Back @POTUS move to end unconstitutional Syria war, bring troops home<br></div><div><a href="https://www.change.org/p/stand-w-tedlieu-back-potus-move-to-end-unconstitutional-syria-war-bring-troops-home" target="_blank">https://www.change.org/p/stand-w-tedlieu-back-potus-move-to-end-unconstitutional-syria-war-bring-troops-home</a><br></div><div><br></div>===</div><div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><div><div dir="ltr" class="m_-6404762472706929197gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">Robert Reuel Naiman<br>Policy Director<br>Just Foreign Policy<br><a href="http://www.justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">www.justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org" target="_blank">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a><br><div><span style="text-align:left">(202) 448-2898 x1</span></div><div><br></div><div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><br><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr">On Thu, Dec 20, 2018 at 2:02 PM C G Estabrook via Peace-discuss <<a href="mailto:peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" target="_blank">peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div style="word-wrap:break-word;line-break:after-white-space"><br><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-interchange-newline"><div style="margin:0px"><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif">Caitlin Johnstone <<a href="mailto:donotreply@wordpress.com" target="_blank">donotreply@wordpress.com</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin:0px"><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif"><b>[New post] Reactions To Trump’s Syria Withdrawal Plan Say More Than The Plan Itself</b><br></span></div><div style="margin:0px"><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif">December 20, 2018 at 8:26:15 AM CST<br></span></div><div style="margin:0px"><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:-webkit-system-font,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,sans-serif"><a href="mailto:cgestabrook@gmail.com" target="_blank">cgestabrook@gmail.com</a><br></span></div><br><div><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#DDDDDD" style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none;width:1099px;background-color:rgb(221,221,221)"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-body" style="width:1079px;padding:10px"><tbody><tr><td><div style="direction:ltr;max-width:600px;margin:0px auto;overflow:hidden"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#ffffff" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-wrapper" style="width:600px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255);text-align:left;max-width:1024px;min-width:320px;margin:0px auto"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" height="8" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-header-wrap" style="width:600px;background-image:url("https://s0.wp.com/i/emails/stripes.gif");background-color:rgb(67,164,208);height:8px"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-header" style="width:600px;color:rgb(0,136,204);font-size:1.6em;background-color:rgb(239,239,239);border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(221,221,221);margin:0px;padding:0px"><tbody><tr><td><h2 class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-title" style="line-height:1;font-weight:400;color:rgb(70,70,70);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;padding:0px;font-size:16px;margin:5px 20px">New post on<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><strong>Caitlin Johnstone</strong></h2></td><td style="text-align:right"><img border="0" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219head-avatar" src="https://i1.wp.com/caitlinjohnstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cropped-caitlinpic1.jpg?resize=32%2C32&ssl=1" alt="" width="32" height="32" style="margin: 5px 20px 5px 0px; vertical-align: middle;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="20" bgcolor="#ffffff" style="width:600px"><tbody><tr><td><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:560px"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219the-post"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:560px"><tbody><tr><td style="white-space:nowrap;vertical-align:top;width:60px"><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?author=2" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178);display:block;margin-right:10px" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="" src="http://1.gravatar.com/avatar/12152988a68a6d4dae7506812444c18f?s=50&d=monsterid&r=G" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219avatar gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219avatar-50" height="50" width="50"></a></td><td><h2 class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219post-title" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);margin:0px;font-size:20px"><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/12/20/reactions-to-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-say-more-than-the-plan-itself/" style="color:rgb(37,133,178);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">Reactions To Trump’s Syria Withdrawal Plan Say More Than The Plan Itself</a></h2><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136)">by<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?author=2" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(136,136,136)" target="_blank">Caitlin Johnstone</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219post-content" style="direction:ltr;margin-top:1em;max-width:560px"><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of US troops from Syria, which is reportedly<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/19/us-wants-to-pull-troops-from-syria-as-trump-declares-victory-over-isis.html" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">expected to take 60-100</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>days or<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/19/us/politics/trump-syria-turkey-troop-withdrawal.html" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">30 days</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>depending on who you ask. According to Kurdish forces in eastern Syria the<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/kurdish-forces-confirm-us-and-french-forces-began-withdrawal-from-east-syria/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">withdrawal of American as well as French</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>troops is already underway, though<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1452578" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">France is saying it's staying</a>. The number of troops to be withdrawn which keeps getting repeated in the news is 2,000, but<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/world/syria/us-troops-in-syria/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8a053c8a5664" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">there've been reports</a>that the actual number of US ground troops in Syria is closer to 4,000. The US-led airstrike campaign against Islamic State <a href="http://archive.is/Oi4gM#selection-1375.0-1375.303" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">will reportedly continue</a>.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em"><a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1075528854402256896" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Trump says</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>the withdrawal is because ISIS has been defeated in Syria, but others are pointing to the conspicuous timing of his recent chat with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdoğan, who<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey/erdogan-says-trump-positive-on-turkish-military-plan-to-push-east-in-syria-idUSKBN1OG16T" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">has announced a coming military operation</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>against Kurdish forces in Syria east of the Euphrates in the near future, as the more likely reason. An anonymous senior US official<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-syria-official/trump-did-not-discuss-syria-pullout-with-erdogan-in-advance-u-s-official-idUSKCN1OI2JE" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">has told<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Reuters</em></a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>that the two leaders didn't discuss a US withdrawal from Syria, but the timing of the conversation as well as a recent<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://thedefensepost.com/2018/12/19/us-approves-patriot-turkey-sale/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">$3.5 billion arms deal</a> with Turkey indicates the the US withdrawal and Erdoğan's planned military assault could very well be related. The Kurds put all their eggs in the basket of US support out of a desire to create their own nation, and a US withdrawal means they'll be forced to either court an alliance with Damascus, as<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1075459919871139840" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">some analysts</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>believe will happen, or risk being trapped between hostile Turkish forces and hostile Syrian coalition forces as the Assad government<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/12/report-us-to-leave-syria-immediately.html#more" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">races to reclaim Syrian territory</a>.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">Beyond that, it's hard to tell what's actually happening. I'll be astonished if there is an actual US withdrawal from Syria without any residual or proxy forces left behind, and it remains extremely possible that US troops won't leave at all, especially if another conveniently timed "chemical weapons attack" gets attributed to Damascus. This administration has been going back and forth and back and forth about what its Syria policy actually is ever since Trump took office, and it won't be the least bit surprising if we end up seeing very little change in US military presence. Things could very well just get shuffled around a bit and then re-settle as power struggles are sorted out within an administration that is endlessly in conflict with itself.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">Everything I've just typed is basically a jumbled information salad of possibilities and speculation; it's just me saying "Here's what little we know, now we wait and see" and then shrugging. The real information that we can look at right now is the absolutely bizarre bipartisan response that Trump's announcement has elicited.</p><div class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219embed-twitter" style="direction:ltr"><blockquote class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219twitter-tweet" style="font-family:Times,serif;font-size:1.1em;font-style:italic;color:rgb(135,135,135);border-left-width:3px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1em;margin:1em 1em 1em 2em"><p lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">Trump gave Putin a big Christmas present this year: Syria.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC)<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/JoeNBC/status/1075486341037731845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">December 19, 2018</a></p></blockquote></div><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">As soon as Trump announced via Twitter his intent to withdraw troops from Syria, everyone has been losing their minds. Virtually every liberal media outlet has reacted hysterically, with the<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>New York Times</em><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>editorial board<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://archive.is/nhPJV" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">condemning the decision</a>, along with multiple CNN and MSNBC releases and<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/1075583466807410689" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Rachel Maddow going full Rachel Maddow</a> but with Turkey this time. Senators Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Jeanne Shaheen, Tom Cotton, Angus King and Joni Ernst wrote Trump a bipartisan letter warning that a US withdrawal "may embolden Bashar al Assad to take further actions to solidify his power" inside the country he is the president of. Hollywood celebrities like<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BetteMidler/status/1075492089046163457" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Bette Midler</a>,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MiaFarrow/status/1075411021165150208" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Mia Farrow</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/cher/status/1075634548442984449" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Cher</a> burst out of their dust pods of irrelevance to scream at everyone that limitless US military expansionism is glorious and desirable. Max Boot, the legendary Man Who Is Always Wrong About Everything,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MaxBoot/status/1075484246318505984" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">declared</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>that Trump is giving a "gift to Iran, Russia, ISIS, and Assad" by exiting.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">That word "gift" appeared again and again and again and again. The<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>New York Times</em>editorial board declared "An American withdrawal would also be a gift to Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, who has been working hard to supplant American influence in the region, as well as to Iran, which has also expanded its regional footprint." Victoria Nuland in the Washington Post<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-a-single-tweet-trump-destroys-us-policy-in-the-middle-east/2018/12/19/eb423434-03da-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html?utm_term=.3af9aa857013" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">declared</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>that "With his decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria, President Trump hands a huge New Year’s gift to President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic State, the Kremlin and Tehran." The<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><em>New York Times</em>' Bret Stephens<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BretStephensNYT/status/1075413215067168768" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">called it</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>"A gift to Iran, Hezbollah, and Putin."</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">And all the rank-and-file consumers of mass media are now parroting that talking point at every opportunity. Do a Twitter search for the words "gift" and "Syria" together as of this publishing and you'll come across not just blue-checkmarked establishment mouthpieces teaching that slogan to their followers, but countless ordinary people regurgitating it as well. Not because they believe in endless US military expansionism, not because they truly understand what's going on and take issue with it, but because they hate Trump and they were taught to repeat a specific line in order to criticize him.</p><div class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219embed-twitter" style="direction:ltr"><blockquote class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219twitter-tweet" style="font-family:Times,serif;font-size:1.1em;font-style:italic;color:rgb(135,135,135);border-left-width:3px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1em;margin:1em 1em 1em 2em"><p lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">Trump's Syria strategy as a house sale:</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">"Great, we are negotiating our departure from the house in hopes of protecting our interests in the neighborhood. Ok, the house is yours. We are moving out. Once we are gone, we'll start negotiating price."</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">Art of the Idiotic Deal.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald)<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/1075528248723935234?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">December 19, 2018</a></p></blockquote></div><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">The thing about this "gift" idea, and really with all the criticisms that are being leveled against Trump's supposed troop withdrawal, is that they all have as their premise the assumption that Syria belongs to America. #Resistance pundit and tentacle porn aficionado Kurt Eichenwald even<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/1075528248723935234" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">compared the withdrawal to a homeowner</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>giving away their home without negotiating a price first. All across the board in these criticisms there is this one bizarre assumption that is going completely unquestioned: that Syria is America's property, and ceasing to treat it as such would be giving that property away to someone else, whether it be Russia, Iran, or Syria's own government.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">But Syria is not America's property, and the US has never had any right to be there at all. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, unlike the US, are in Syria at the invitation of the nation's only legitimate government. They are there fighting back the extremist forces which had captured large territories<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/2018/02/28/resisting-calls-to-do-something-about-syria/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">with the backing of the US and its allies</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>in an attempted regime change intervention which was planned<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/the-us-empire-has-been-trying-to-regime-change-syria-since-long-before-2011-40d4e6648d54" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">long before violence erupted in 2011</a>. All these pundits pontificating from their armchairs about retaining control of Syrian land in order to "counter the influence" of Iran or Russia are claiming that an invading, occupying force should retain control of<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/jwcglaser/status/1074014374241689604" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">a third of Syria</a> in order to control what a sovereign nation does with its own allies.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">And that just says so much about the mentality of the American elite class and its lackeys. For the thought leaders of the US global order, and for the unthinking human livestock who follow their decrees, America is the only sovereign nation on earth. If China invaded the US and occupied a third of its territory in order to counter Canadian and British influence we'd be looking at World War Three that very day, but doing exactly that in a disobedient Middle Eastern country is looked at as so normal and routine that any apparent deviation from that strategy is regarded with shock and outrage. And the only thing that keeps this obvious discrepancy from being treated like the ridiculous power-serving double standard that it is is a claim to moral authority by a government which literally armed terrorists in Syria.</p><div class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219embed-twitter" style="direction:ltr"><blockquote class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219twitter-tweet" style="font-family:Times,serif;font-size:1.1em;font-style:italic;color:rgb(135,135,135);border-left-width:3px;border-left-style:solid;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1em;margin:1em 1em 1em 2em"><p lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">Syria is not a "gift" that can be "given" to Putin, despite the blinkered American political climate which places everything in that asinine context. It's a country over which the United States has no legal authority, and never did, despite years of casualties and billions spent<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://t.co/7WztDNedt5" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/7WztDNedt5</a></p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">— Michael Tracey (@mtracey)<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/mtracey/status/1075465760368193543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">December 19, 2018</a></p></blockquote></div><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">So while the jumble of information and speculation about Trump's possible Syria maneuverings doesn't necessarily tell us a whole lot, the reaction to it tells us why the world looks the way it looks. The most powerful military force in the history of civilization inflicts violence and domination with total impunity and total disregard for national sovereignty, demanding total respect for its own borders and total compliance from all nations outside its borders. Nations which obey are absorbed into an alliance that is so tight and streamlined it can effectively be called an empire, while nations which disobey are invaded, occupied, disrupted and destroyed.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">I write about the United States so much partly for the same reason I'd keep an eye on a guy at the bar who was always walking around knocking people off their chairs and drinking their beer, and partly because a conscious relationship with the concept of sovereignty is so very, very important if we're to learn to survive the troubles we're facing as a species. Sovereignty is what personal, political, and societal problems all ultimately boil down to. Becoming conscious of all the myriad ways we extend beyond our own sovereign boundaries and intrude into the sovereignty of others, be they personal, ideological, national, or ecosystemic, is the path toward creating a world wherein we can all collaborate with each other and with our environment in the interests of the greater good.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">We've got to evolve beyond this mentality of intrusive domination which is so aggressively promoted as normal by the mass media. The idea that it's okay for a powerful nation to insert its military force into a weaker nation in order to manipulate geopolitical dynamics to its advantage is a sickness, and we need to heal it.</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em">______________________</p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em"><em>That was fun. So, the best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for my</em> <a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="http://caitlinjohnstone.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank"><em>website</em></a><em>, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My articles are entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on</em> <a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="https://www.facebook.com/CaitlinAJohnstone/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, following my antics on</em> <a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="https://twitter.com/caitoz" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em>, </em><em>throwing some money into my hat on </em><a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="https://www.patreon.com/user?u=4445783" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank"><em>Patreon</em></a><em> or</em> <a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="http://paypal.me/caitlinjohnstone" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank"><em>Paypal</em></a>, <em>purchasing some of my <a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="https://www.redbubble.com/people/caitoz?ref=artist_title_name" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">sweet new merchandise</a>, </em><em>buying my new book <a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="https://gumroad.com/l/roguenation" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Rogue Nation: Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone</a>, or my previous book </em><a title="This link will take you away from steemit.com" href="https://www.amazon.com/Woke-Field-Guide-Utopia-Preppers/dp/064823455X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8" rel="nofollow noopener" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank"><em>Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers</em></a><em>.</em></p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em"><img border="0" src="https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://i0.wp.com/steemitimages.com/0x0/https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/0*VDvfq6m943JQbqLO.png?w=1060&ssl=1" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 12px;"></p><p style="direction:ltr;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4em;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 1em"><em>Bitcoin donations:1Ac7PCQXoQoLA9Sh8fhAgiU3PHA2EX5Zm2</em></p><div style="direction:ltr;clear:both"></div></div><div class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219meta" style="direction:ltr;color:rgb(153,153,153);font-size:0.9em;margin-top:4px;line-height:23.040000915527344px;padding:15px 0px;border-top-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;border-top-color:rgb(238,238,238);border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(238,238,238);overflow:hidden"><strong><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?author=2" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Caitlin Johnstone</a></strong><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>| December 20, 2018 at 2:25 pm | Tags:<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=post_tag&term=trump" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">#Trump</a>,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=post_tag&term=government" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">government</a>,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=post_tag&term=media" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">media</a>,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=post_tag&term=politics" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Politics</a>,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=post_tag&term=syria" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Syria</a>,<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=post_tag&term=withdrawal" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">withdrawal</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>| Categories:<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/?taxonomy=category&term=article" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Article</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>| URL:<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://wp.me/p9tj6M-1uj" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">https://wp.me/p9tj6M-1uj</a></div><p class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-action-links" style="direction:ltr;line-height:1.4em;font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;margin:0px;font-size:14px;color:rgb(102,102,102);padding:1em 0px 0em;width:auto"></p><table class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219auto-width" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="width:auto"><tbody><tr><td style="width:10px"><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/12/20/reactions-to-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-say-more-than-the-plan-itself/#respond" style="text-decoration:none;color:rgb(255,255,255);border-top-left-radius:10em;border-top-right-radius:10em;border-bottom-right-radius:10em;border-bottom-left-radius:10em;border:1px solid rgb(17,114,158);background-color:rgb(37,133,178);padding:5px 15px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.4em;font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-left:0px;white-space:nowrap" target="_blank">Comment</a></td><td>   <a class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-action-link" href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/12/20/reactions-to-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-say-more-than-the-plan-itself/#comments" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">See all comments</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219webkit-block-placeholder"></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="20" bgcolor="#efefef" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-wrapper-sub" style="width:600px;background-color:rgb(239,239,239);text-align:left;border-top-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;border-top-color:rgb(221,221,221)"><tbody><tr><td class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-content" style="border-top-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;border-top-color:rgb(243,243,243);color:rgb(136,136,136);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:rgb(239,239,239)"><p style="direction:ltr;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:1.4em;margin:0px 0px 10px"><a href="https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=59fea216c501b1df39ffceaabffa5e93&email=cgestabrook%40gmail.com&b=BstOAxsOrHMo6tuTgcZBEvqMWRAaiYqM2BA1lj7JHyzrgtxylMJniduxWB8DzViKw22aH55hOPauzufMe4B1q0RF5S7b1VKn9UVBpnsznyeMHA%3D%3D" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Unsubscribe</a><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>to no longer receive posts from Caitlin Johnstone.<br>Change your email settings at<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=59fea216c501b1df39ffceaabffa5e93&email=cgestabrook%40gmail.com" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">Manage Subscriptions</a>.        </p><div style="direction:ltr;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:1.4em;margin:0px"><strong>Trouble clicking?</strong><span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span>Copy and paste this URL into your browser:<span class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219Apple-converted-space"> </span><br><a href="https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/12/20/reactions-to-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-say-more-than-the-plan-itself/" style="text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(37,133,178)" target="_blank">https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2018/12/20/reactions-to-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-say-more-than-the-plan-itself/</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" height="3" class="gmail-m_-6404762472706929197gmail-m_1365081075007181219subscribe-footer-wrap" style="width:600px;background-image:url("https://s0.wp.com/i/emails/stripes.gif");background-color:rgb(67,164,208);height:3px"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br></td></tr></tbody></table><img alt="" border="0" src="http://pixel.wp.com/b.gif?blog=139971992&post=5723&subd=caitlinjohnstone.com&ref=&email=1&email_o=jetpack&host=jetpack.wordpress.com" width="1" height="1" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none;"></div></blockquote></div><br></div>_______________________________________________<br>
Peace-discuss mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net" target="_blank">Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net</a><br>
<a href="https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss</a><br>
</blockquote></div>