President Trump's sudden call for US troops to withdraw from Syria and Afghanistan has left many observers scratching their heads.
Yes, in general, it is to be welcomed that American forces are leaving Syria. They have been there illegally, in contravention of Syria's sovereignty, for the past four years. US troops getting out of the Arab country potentially allows for a political settlement to take hold after nearly eight years of war.
As for Afghanistan, US troops have been there for nearly 18 years on a dubious mission to "combat terrorism". Again, the removal of US soldiers from the Central Asian country could, potentially, lead to less war and more political stability.
Russia has welcomed in principle the move by Trump to withdraw forces from Syria.
However, as the Russian foreign ministry noted this week, it is not clear "what the US gambit involves". Moscow's wariness is well-placed.
There seems to be a lot of American politicking behind Trump's abrupt decision-making. His call for "our boys to come home" caught the Pentagon and many hawkish Republicans and Democrats by surprise. The word was they were "blind-sided" by the president's order. What could be going on, in part, is Trump looking toward the 2020 presidential election, and posing as the "peace candidate" making good, superficially, on his past electoral promises to end overseas American wars.
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