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Last Updated on December 19, 2018.

 

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

WASHINGTON — Win Without War Director Stephen Miles released the following statement responding to reports that Donald Trump plans to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria:

“Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the United States has gotten its response wrong every step of the way, and Donald Trump’s latest moves are no exception.

“From day one, Win Without War has opposed a U.S. military response to a crisis with no military solution, and we continue to support the full withdrawal of American military personnel from Syria. However, Donald Trump’s plan to declare ‘victory’ and walk away from an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe – one that the U.S. in part helped create – is reckless, shortsighted, and wrong. Even worse, given that just yesterday a federal court judge chastised Donald Trump’s first National Security Advisor for ‘selling out our country’ to Turkey, we are left wondering what secret deals and backroom arrangements with Turkey and other major players in Syria may actually be driving this Administration’s new plans in Syria.

“While U.S. troops should indeed come home from Syria, they should be replaced with a humanitarian and diplomatic surge that works to build a sustainable peace, holds the conflict’s numerous war criminals accountable, welcomes refugees displaced by the conflict, and addresses the instability and suffering that our nation’s violence-first policy has caused in Syria and throughout the region. This includes renewing reconstruction funding to cities like Raqqa and offering accountability to the thousands of civilians affected by the U.S.-led coalition’s military campaign against the self-described Islamic State.

“Finally, when Congress reconvenes in January, it must conduct the basic oversight of Donald Trump’s foreign policy that under Republican House and Senate majorities has thus far failed to provide. Congress must connect the dots between Trump’s web of foreign ties and questionable deals with a growing axis of authoritarian dictators. Any oversight initiative must also shine a light on the continued violence, instability, and human suffering caused by our military misadventures in nearly every corner of the globe.

“The people of Syria have suffered immensely for our nation’s repeated fueling of war and limited efforts at peace. Now, as we bring our service-members home from the battlefield, we must not continue to repeat those very same mistakes.”

 

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Win Without War is a diverse network of national organizations working for progressive foreign policy in America.

December 19, 2018