President-elect Donald Trump has made some outlandish comments on the situation in Syria following the resignation of Bashar al-Assad, including repeating the neocon narrative that “Russia and Iran are in a weakened state.” However, the emphasis that has been picked up by some of his close associates is how he ended his Dec. 7 post on Truth Social, in which he wrote about the Syria situation: “THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” (Emphasis in original.)
Speaking at a panel on U.S. foreign policy at the Doha Forum over last weekend, Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s White House Middle East Envoy under his first administration, said on Dec. 8: “Syria is not America’s problem, first and foremost, it’s the region’s problem. And he [Trump] wants the region to work hard to fix it. He’ll engage in dialogue. He’ll help where he can help.”
Also echoing this sentiment, Trump’s pick for the Director of National Intelligence, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, responded to questions from reporters on Dec. 9 on the same subject. “I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days, with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said. “My own views and experiences have been shaped by my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.”
Gabbard added that Trump is fully committed to bringing about “an end to wars, demonstrating peace through strength, and putting the national security interests and the safety, security and freedom of the American people first and foremost,” according to a report in the Washington Examiner.
