SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Journalist Jeremy Scahill on Friday weighed in on major foreign policy developments out of the Trump administration. (Photo: Charlie Rose/screenshot)
Jeremy Scahill's Top 10 Takeaways on Mattis Exit and Possible US Withdrawal From Syria and Afghanistan
"This is an opportunity for progressive forces to assert an alternative vision for U.S. foreign policy."
Dec 20, 2018
Journalist Jeremy Scahill--who has built a career reporting on American militarism and imperialism across the globe--turned to Twitter on Friday to weigh in on a few major foreign policy developments over the past 24 hours: the resignation of Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis, and President Donald Trump's consideration of withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Mattis will leave his post at the Pentagon in February, according to his resignation letter circulated Thursday, which highlighted his policy disagreements with the president. The announcement of his imminent departure sent shockwaves throughout the Washington, D.C. foreign policy establishment and corporate media--whose lamenting that a man nicknamed Mad Dog was the last "adult in the room" also triggered an onslaught of criticism.
Mattis, the New York Times reported, resigned "in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria and his rejection of international alliances." News of the president's plans for Syria were followed by reports that Trump has ordered officials to craft a plan to bring home about half of the 14,000 troops currently stationed in Afghanistan. While many progressives have celebrated the prospect of winding down the American military presence in both countries, critics have also raised alarm about potential regional consequences of rapid withdrawal and the unhinged behavior of a president acting like an out-of-control "idiot king."
Scahill summarized his top takeaways on Mattis, Syria, and Afghanistan in a 10-point list posted to Twitter:
\u201c5. This is an opportunity for progressive forces to assert an alternative vision for US foreign policy. \n6. Trump is a crooked charlatan. But these withdrawals would represent a dent in the armor of the bipartisan war machine. \n7. This chaos presents opportunity.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1545406322
\u201c10. For those who somehow think this is Trump opposing the war machine, I point you to his massive escalation of drone strikes, his easing of rules for killing civilians, his use of ground troops in Yemen and Somalia and his use of criminal weaponry like the MOAB in Afghanistan.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1545406322
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Journalist Jeremy Scahill--who has built a career reporting on American militarism and imperialism across the globe--turned to Twitter on Friday to weigh in on a few major foreign policy developments over the past 24 hours: the resignation of Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis, and President Donald Trump's consideration of withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Mattis will leave his post at the Pentagon in February, according to his resignation letter circulated Thursday, which highlighted his policy disagreements with the president. The announcement of his imminent departure sent shockwaves throughout the Washington, D.C. foreign policy establishment and corporate media--whose lamenting that a man nicknamed Mad Dog was the last "adult in the room" also triggered an onslaught of criticism.
Mattis, the New York Times reported, resigned "in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria and his rejection of international alliances." News of the president's plans for Syria were followed by reports that Trump has ordered officials to craft a plan to bring home about half of the 14,000 troops currently stationed in Afghanistan. While many progressives have celebrated the prospect of winding down the American military presence in both countries, critics have also raised alarm about potential regional consequences of rapid withdrawal and the unhinged behavior of a president acting like an out-of-control "idiot king."
Scahill summarized his top takeaways on Mattis, Syria, and Afghanistan in a 10-point list posted to Twitter:
\u201c5. This is an opportunity for progressive forces to assert an alternative vision for US foreign policy. \n6. Trump is a crooked charlatan. But these withdrawals would represent a dent in the armor of the bipartisan war machine. \n7. This chaos presents opportunity.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1545406322
\u201c10. For those who somehow think this is Trump opposing the war machine, I point you to his massive escalation of drone strikes, his easing of rules for killing civilians, his use of ground troops in Yemen and Somalia and his use of criminal weaponry like the MOAB in Afghanistan.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1545406322
Journalist Jeremy Scahill--who has built a career reporting on American militarism and imperialism across the globe--turned to Twitter on Friday to weigh in on a few major foreign policy developments over the past 24 hours: the resignation of Defense Secretary James "Mad Dog" Mattis, and President Donald Trump's consideration of withdrawing U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Mattis will leave his post at the Pentagon in February, according to his resignation letter circulated Thursday, which highlighted his policy disagreements with the president. The announcement of his imminent departure sent shockwaves throughout the Washington, D.C. foreign policy establishment and corporate media--whose lamenting that a man nicknamed Mad Dog was the last "adult in the room" also triggered an onslaught of criticism.
Mattis, the New York Times reported, resigned "in protest of President Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria and his rejection of international alliances." News of the president's plans for Syria were followed by reports that Trump has ordered officials to craft a plan to bring home about half of the 14,000 troops currently stationed in Afghanistan. While many progressives have celebrated the prospect of winding down the American military presence in both countries, critics have also raised alarm about potential regional consequences of rapid withdrawal and the unhinged behavior of a president acting like an out-of-control "idiot king."
Scahill summarized his top takeaways on Mattis, Syria, and Afghanistan in a 10-point list posted to Twitter:
\u201c5. This is an opportunity for progressive forces to assert an alternative vision for US foreign policy. \n6. Trump is a crooked charlatan. But these withdrawals would represent a dent in the armor of the bipartisan war machine. \n7. This chaos presents opportunity.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1545406322
\u201c10. For those who somehow think this is Trump opposing the war machine, I point you to his massive escalation of drone strikes, his easing of rules for killing civilians, his use of ground troops in Yemen and Somalia and his use of criminal weaponry like the MOAB in Afghanistan.\u201d— jeremy scahill (@jeremy scahill) 1545406322
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.