After more than a decade of violent and vicious repression, Bashar al-Assad's main backers, Iran and Russia, have focused their resources and attention domestically rather than in Damascus. Government has collapsed.
There are more questions than answers from Syria, but this experience has made one thing very clear for countries around the world. It means that countries in conflict cannot survive without friends.
It could also be argued that the US handed it over to Afghanistan. Same fate for Ashraf Ghani in 2021when President Biden lost patience with this, following President Trump's lead and favoring a more responsible path with his own administration. The rapid and complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan paved the way for a swift takeover by the Taliban, a rollback of Afghan women's rights, and a new safe haven for terrorism. It is also 13 US military personnel tragically killed The bombing at the monastery gate in Kabul killed nearly 200 Afghan civilians. In the absence of U.S. action, nonprofit organizations and civilians continue to evacuate and secure visas for those pledged to help.
For people of my generation, it was an unfortunate reminder of the fall of Saigon and a symbol of American incompetence after two decades of massive human and financial investment in Afghanistan.
It remains to be seen whether the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebel group that toppled Assad will care about Syria any more than the Taliban do in Afghanistan. They may rule with fear, as fellow Islamist group ISIS did with its lightning expansion and access to better military stockpiles and chemical weapons. Or it could finally bring peace to the Syrian people and stop Iranian supplies to Hezbollah through Syria.
In any case, there is no doubt that Volodymyr Zelensky is paying attention. For 1,000 days, Ukrainians have lost their sovereign territory, democracy, and 40 million yen from continued illegal aggression from Russia, which featured brutal attacks on critical infrastructure and civilian hospitals, and the abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children. I have been fighting to protect people's lives.
With support from the United States and partners, Ukraine continues to participate in the fight, albeit with unfortunate conditions, but has been unable to advance beyond an initial counterattack in 2022. Without its support on the battlefield, Ukraine will collapse. The leverage provided by continued support will also strengthen Ukraine's hand at the eventual negotiating table.
As he prepares to take office, President-elect Donald Trump must decide whether to shun U.S. commitments to Ukraine, as we did in Afghanistan, or honor U.S. commitments.
Aside from the legal, humanitarian, and ethical reasons for continuing to assist Ukraine, the United States has two vital national interests at stake. The first is to prevent further Russian aggression. The second is to maintain U.S. deterrence and strengthen alliances around the world.
If Russia is allowed to “win” in Ukraine – meaning everything from military victories to negotiating important Ukrainian territory and increasing its influence over the Ukrainian government – it will surely not stop there.
As shown in , Russia has already expanded its influence across Eastern Europe. recent elections in romania. President Vladimir Putin's goal is to restore Russia to its former status as a world leader at all costs, including working with China, North Korea, and Iran to counter U.S. influence.
After the humiliating failure to capture Kiev in the first invasion, Russia has rebuilt its military, stepped up mobilization, built a wartime economy, and is now producing more. weapons and military equipment By some standards, it's higher than the rest of Europe combined. A few nibbles from Ukraine may be Putin's appetizer, but he is preparing to carve out a larger chunk of the former Soviet territory.
Meanwhile, the U.S. commitment to Ukraine, which has bipartisan support and support from NATO and non-NATO allies alike, cannot be separated from U.S. commitments in other regions. Other European countries, Taiwan, the Philippines, and other countries dependent on U.S. security will be less likely to trust U.S. aid promises if it also breaks its commitments to Ukraine after Afghanistan.
The words of any American president are worth their weight if other countries read them with an expiration date, or if our efforts in one area could be sacrificed to new needs in another. It will lose value.
At the recent Halifax International Security Forum, Taiwan's former president appealed for continued U.S. military assistance to Ukraine despite concerns that such assistance would lead to a reduction in the weapons available to the country. Ta. Our friends don't just need American weapons. It is our commitment to the protection of sovereign rights and democracies.
If the United States does not counteract aggression in Ukraine, why would China think we would intervene in it? Ongoing “gray zone” tactics In the Pacific? If it turns its back on Kiev like Kabul, it will be hard to shake off its papier-mâché tiger reputation.
The hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan was the bloody and shameful end result of four presidents who sought to reduce America's footprint in the “forever” war after 9/11. If we made the same mistake by selling Ukraine to Putin, the outcome would be much worse.
Jane Herman is a nine-term former congresswoman from California who served as the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee for four years after 9/11. She is the chair of the bipartisan Congressional-mandated National Defense Strategy Committee, chair emeritus of the Wilson Center, and author of the book.Insanity Defense: Why Failing to Solve National Security Problems Makes Us Less Secure. ”
