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In March, the Trump administration laid out conditions for ending sanctions on Syria.
The new Islamic terrorist regime led by a former Al Qaeda terrorist that had taken over Syria was warned to “exclude foreign terrorist fighters from any official roles”, difficult to imagine considering that the country was being run by domestic and foreign terrorists, “and ensure the security and freedoms of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities”. Especially Christians.
“Any adjustment to U.S. policy towards Syria’s interim authorities will be contingent on all of those steps being taken,” the terrorist regime was warned.
This position was reaffirmed by the Trump administration in April at the UN Security Council.
Syria’s Jihadi government not only refused to expel its foreign Jihadi allies, but gave members of Al Qaeda and ISIS linked terrorists ranks in its new ‘military’. Syria not only harbors terrorist networks from as far away as China and Albania, but also Muslim terrorists from Western nations like Omar Diaby, listed by the United States as linked to Al Qaeda, who was “responsible for recruiting 80% of the French-speaking jihadists who went to Syria or Iraq” and who are at high risk of carrying out terrorist attacks in Europe and the United States.
With Al-Qaeda and ISIS Jihadis in control of Syria, the country’s Christians live in fear.
The new terrorist regime was supposed to protect Syria’s Christians as a precondition to dropping sanctions. And while Al-Jolani has made all sorts of assurances, Islamic terrorists remain in control of some Christian property seized during the war (many other churches were destroyed) and Christians have been warned to become Muslims or face the consequences.
Leaflets bearing the message “death to the pork eaters” and other threats against Christians continue to circulate. Selective curfews were imposed on Christians who defended themselves against Muslim violence and they were disarmed in at least one community.
Syria’s Christians are expected to entrust their security to the Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists who massacred their families, took nuns hostage and destroyed churches. They’re terrified of what the future holds and they have every reason to be in a country run by terrorists whose religion commands the oppression, enslavement and or killing of everyone who isn’t a Sunni Muslim.
While the sanctions were imposed on the previous Assad regime, the Trump administration had tried to use them as leverage to convince the Al-Jolani regime to expel foreign Jihadis and protect Christians. Instead the towel was thrown in at the infamous meeting in Saudi Arabia.
And what is the United States getting in return for lifting sanctions and losing its leverage?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the sanctions had to be lifted because of an urgent need to get aid into Syria. This argument, already deployed everywhere from Gaza to Yemen to Afghanistan to drop restrictions on delivering aid to terrorists has only made terrorism worse.
Sending aid to Syria, an enemy nation whose governments have been terrorists of one kind or another, is not a vital national interest. Ending the use of Syria by Islamic terrorist groups, some of whom pose a threat to the United States, is. And protecting Christians is a cultural interest.
Rubio also argued in the Senate that sanctions needed to be dropped because Syria was weeks or months “away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions, basically the country splitting up.” Why this would be any worse than the current state of affairs in which Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorists run the country was not made clear.
“We want to help that government succeed, because the alternative is full-scale civil war and chaos, which would, of course, destabilize the entire region,” he argued.
Do we really want terrorists to succeed in ruling Syria? Is that in our national interest?
Why is keeping Syria united under Turkish, Al Qaeda and ISIS rule preferable to letting the various ethnic and religious groups forced at gunpoint to pretend they’re part of one country get their independence? Syria’s Christians would be more likely to benefit from independence than rule by an Islamic terrorist coalition with a history of committing atrocities against Christians.
It’s obvious why Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other participants in the coalition of state sponsors of terror, including 9/11, and who helped engineer the Arab Spring, and the Jihadi takeover of Syria would want to keep the power they seized. And we know all too well why Republican globalists like McCain adopted those same positions and got the United States into the business of backing the Syrian ‘rebels’ no matter how often they showed their true Jihadi colors.
But why is the Trump administration adopting this rebooted Arab Spring?
The biggest evidence that dropping sanctions on the Al Qaeda regime and the $10 million reward for its leader, Al-Jolani, was a grave error was that it was immediately adopted by the EU.
“Today, we took the decision to lift our economic sanctions on Syria. We want to help the Syrian people rebuild a new, inclusive and peaceful Syria,” European Commission VP Kaja Kalla tweeted. Followed by her declaration that “Sanctions are working. They hit Russia’s economy hard and hamper its capacity to wage war.”
Why do sanctions work in Russia but not in Syria? Because the EU and globalist forces support the Al Qaeda takeover of Syria. And that’s already a good reason for us not to join them.
But from the Iran negotiations to a concern about “humanitarian aid” for Gaza, our foreign policy is starting to resemble Europe’s foreign policy and that of the Obama administration. What’s missing is any sense of why this is in our national interest. Obama and the EU reject the idea that national interests matter, only an amorphous concept of “values” that favors our enemies.
We should be able to do better than this 99 cent store globalism.
The best Rubio could do was to assert some sort of domino theory, arguing that, “When Syria is unstable, the region becomes unstable.” It’s hard to see what could destabilize the region more than Al Qaeda terrorists in charge of a country, but even taken at face value, that commits the Trump administration to perpetually maintaining stability across the Middle East by propping up any government, no matter how awful, and then watching the whole thing spin out of control anyway, and recapitulating the worst days of the Clinton, Bush and Obama years. Again.
The Trump era was supposed to restore foreign policy based on national interests and an end to the United States playing the world’s policeman. Cutting a deal with Al-Jolani just showcases the foreign policy disasters that led us into allying with Islamic terrorists in Syria a decade ago in the name of such vague concepts as international law, human rights and regional stability.
Democrats and Republicans got played by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Turkey and other Islamic states into embracing the Arab Spring. Now we’re being roped into supporting Jhadis taking over Syria all over again. And then where to next? Libya? Gaza? America?
We dropped sanctions on Syria in order to keep it in the hands of Al Qaeda while abandoning our best leverage for protecting Syria’s Christians and keeping terrorist groups from using Syria as a base. After Qatar stabbed us in the back in Afghanistan, we’re back to trusting it in Syria and Gaza. And we’ve forgotten that making deals with Islamic Jihadis only ends one way.
The same way it did for us in Afghanistan…with dead Americans and American hostages.
Well, they seem to be rather naive when it comes to Muslims.
No not naivety but rather ill advised. Evidently, there are still Biden hold overs in Wash DC that are secret Jihadists and are giving the Trump Admin, bad advice.
FPM continues its uncompromising criticism of Islam’s threat.
Perhaps we can excuse our government in the 1980s for siding with jihadi & mujahideen as we didn’t know much about Islam then. There is no excuse today. Certainly not after 9/11, the abortive Arab Spring, the Hamas attack of Oct 7th … let alone all the terror attacks, listed on the Religion of Peace website.
FPM is needed more than ever … and is in good hands.
Agreed, but with the understanding that President Trump isn’t taking steps to import Syrian islam here by the 10s of 1000s like jug-eared Barry did (at $67,000+ per head.)
President Trump made a play to check the CCP from entering/exploiting that area.
The revitalization of the Abraham Peace Accords serves to contain the Imams in Iran. (They’ll no longer receive pallets of cash from compliant fools. They now know that if they FA, they’ll FO.)
That said, I fully agree that Trump has to be vigilant against the ever-present threat that islam ALWAYS brings. Aggressive deportation of any/all jihadist behavior MUST be pursued.
As long as Trump makes clear his stick is much bigger than the carrot he just gave, I’m, at the moment, okay with the policy.
Trump will not put a finger on Qatar. Too many in his circle, including the boss, have financial entanglements. His big stick so far is just words. He didn’t put even the Houthis out of business. MAGA foreign policy is full of blind faith and contradictions.
Thank you Jason. We are going to continue speaking out. I began writing after 9/11. This is a core issue to me.
Anyone else disgusted by the brazen and transparently insincere theatrical cosplay that these goose-stepping, genocidal Islamofascists/Muslim terrorist thugs engage in, when they put on a suit and attempt to look “respectable” and “moderate” for western consumption and cameras?
What’s dismaying is that there is no shortage of useful idiot, gullible, leftist European dhimmis and American Dhimmi-crats who fall for this ruse.
Right. So, securing 2 trillion with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and taking sanctions off Syria with conditions is now a bad thing. Unreal. These deals foster greater economic growth for the US, fosters greater safety, security and stability in the region.
Yes, let’s keep doing the status quo because that worked so well.
So, now we are going to trash Trumps foreign policy because he bypassed Israel and war monger Bibi. Newsflash Bibi isn’t dragging us into their conflicts anymore. Trumps done with that nonsense.
Meanwhile, Israel is supposed to be are ally. Yet, in additon to the billions in foreign aid we give them, Israel tariffs our goods. It was only recently Israel said they would take away the tariffs because Trump would use reciprocal tariffs
Oh my goodness. Thank you Israel for not continuing to screw and take advantage of the US with your tariffs. Look everyone see how wonderful Israel is? Wow. How generous of you. But, you’ll keep taking in billions of US tax dollars. Joke.
It’s called MAGA not MIGA. Nuff said
Letting Islamic terrorist states gain influence over us is bad. Letting them set up terror mosques and Islamize America is bad.
Everything else is just empty noise.
Like a Kremlinologist, I can deduce the truth from the opposite of what you say.
Like a Kremlinologist, I can deduce the truth from the opposite of what Sebastian says.
You might want to read a copy of the Koran to realize what the goals of Islam are. They are not peaceful by any means. “From the Israel to the Sea”. is not a peaceful movement. Islamic factions want the Intifada in America and all over the world.
more people should
I’m holding out hope that is just giving them enough rope to hang themselves.
Even though it is not declared officially – Qatar and Saudi Arabia are
as much sworn enemies of America as is Syria under al-Sharaa AKA
al-Jolani. And yet, President Trump has inked deals with Qatar and
Saudi Arabia in the hundreds of billions of dollars in mutual investments.
So it is not really surprising that Trump has propped up Syria as well
with sanctions relief.
What is puzzling is why Trump would do such things. It will prosper
and strengthen those Muslim terrorist-loving nations but also do so
for America. I like to think the President is playing them and biding
for time for America to recover from the shellacking it took under the
globalist commie Democrats. The U.S. military is weakened and needs
to be built back up. The economy is slowing recovering. Crime is
still rampant and the nation’s lefty Courts are hindering Trump
unmercifully – especially in deportation of dangerous illegals and in
eliminating the entrenched woke detriments to America’s progress.
That is most likely President Trump’s game plan – to make America
great again by becoming the powerhouse it once was and be able to
take on Islamists like Qatar, Syria and all the rest from a position of
strength. Not from a position of weakness in which we presently find
ourselves.
Why did President Trump shake hands with the Devil? I don’t blame Israel for getting upset and disappointed with the US President making deals with devils
Et tu, Trump (You to my Trump)?
What is “NEW” about that?
USA supported the Taliban against Democracy and Women’s Rights!
The USA supported Saddam against Iran!
The USA supported ISIS against Syria!
The USA supported Pol Pot against Cambodia (and Vietnam)
The USA supported Fascism against Chile!
The USA supported Fascism against Ukraine (and Russia and Europe)!
and many more….
SO, WHAT IS NEW?
My only hope is that POTUS Trump is setting the stage for our future response, to lay out his conditions and optimistically think the future will be so….and if/when they refuse to “Drive Them Out” and harbor or fund or incite yet more jihadis to conduct jihad, our response will be swift and firm. How willing are they to jettison centuries of hate and violence for economic advancement or political survival? Only the future knows.
Suit-and-tie jihadis are just as vile as ka-boom jihadis.
The best future for you, Daniel Greenfield, and for FrontPageMag!
thank you civilius
Hopefully, Trump knows what he is doing.
Based on Trump’s record, I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on these recent ‘unusual’ actions of his in the Middle East. Remember, he has had many business dealings with the Arabs and such so he definitely is not unaware of their methods. I trust that he has something ‘up his sleeve’ (he usually does).
Time will tell, but for now he is the best that America has and he should be encouraged by all.
Rev. Roy……….<
Seems like Trump is positioning us on the end of a thinner-than-it-looks tree branch which with only a little more strain will crack, break and fall.
Previously, I have been very supportive of Trump but rallying around economic benefits without seeing the Islamic-Jihadi bullseye on our back is sheer stupidity.
Apparently, in business negotiations with Islamic regimes, the art of the deal has willfully neglected the rampant jihadi cry of first eliminating the great Satan (aka the USA)
If not before, certainly since 911 there is no excuse for financially enabling supportive regimes that underwrite terrorism like the Saudis and Qatar for starters. Syria now has a Salifi (Wahhabism Islam) practicing jihadist running the country.
Apparently, our supposedly brilliant businessmen don’t really understand the fundamental hidden betrayal of Islamic negotiating and cunning.
The insanity of Wash DC is maddening to us who are the tax paying everage citizen. Everything in W.D.C. needs to be bull dozed. White House, Capitol Building, all the NGOs, all the lobbying agencies, all the law firms…. All need to be bulldozed.
The Capitol of the USA should be moved to somewhere in the midwest. And not Shit-cago. Somewhere like Omaha, or Oklahoma City. Congress needs cleaned out. All the congressmen vetted and the DemoCrap rats sent packin.