But, getting back to the sitting president, did you read the lengthy article in the WSJ today?
Just one example from a few months after he took office:
If the president was having an off day, meetings could be scrapped altogether. On one such occasion, in the spring of 2021, a national security official explained to another aide why a meeting needed to be rescheduled. “He has good days and bad days, and today was a bad day so we’re going to address this tomorrow,” the former aide recalled the official saying.
It is not surprising that the Kurds wanted to talk to TIG. Did you notice that at the ceremonies for the reopening of Notre Dame where 50 heads of state were invited, our sitting president wasn’t invited? Instead it was the TIG.
First mention I have seen in USian media about Turkish ambitions in Syria. Of course, it has the predictable Fox Noise spin, but, at least it acknowledges what is happening.
What does Turkey say? (from above link)
The (Turkish) spokesman added, “The continued dedication and sacrifices of Türkiye in the fight against Daesh (ISIS) should not be overlooked. At the end of the day, Türkiye remains as the most credible and capable actor in the region in the fight against Daesh.”
The pols insisting the US has to help it’s “Kurdish allies, against Turkey”, have apparently not gotten the memo from their leader.
Much may revolve around Trump’s discussions with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he is thought to have a close relationship.
American backing for the SDF has long been a source of tension with Turkey, which views the People’s Defense Units (YPG) - the Kurdish force that makes up the SDF’s military backbone - as a terrorist organisation.
Since Assad fell, Turkey has been carrying out air strikes to force Kurdish fighters out of strategic areas, including the town of Manbij.
Trump may want to cut a deal with his friend in Ankara that allows him to withdraw US troops and could see Turkey’s hand strengthen further.