Will Trump be able to resolve the Middle East conflict. What the media say
The foreign press welcomes the intentions of US President-elect Donald Trump to end the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. But there is still a risk of repeating the mistakes that Trump made during his first presidential term, as the new administration may stop supporting its allies in Syria. What foreign media write about it - in the Izvestia digest.
BBC News: Trump says Syria is "not our battle," but it's not easy to stay on the sidelines
Can Trump "have nothing to do" with Syria now that Bashar al-Assad's government has fallen? The US says the country must become transparent and inclusive, destroy all chemical and biological weapons stockpiles, not be a "base for terrorism" and not threaten its neighbors. US goals in the region: to contain the remnants of the "Islamic State" (*Islamic State, a terrorist organization banned in Russia) and to make sure that a future government in Damascus cannot threaten Washington's main ally, Israel.
BBC News
Trump is also focused on what he sees as the ultimate prize: a historic diplomatic and trade agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which he believes will further weaken and humiliate Iran
About 900 US troops are now in Syria in a 55-kilometer "de-escalation" zone on the border with Iraq and Jordan. Their official mission is to confront the IS* group and to train and equip the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish and Arab allies of the US, who control the territory. In practice, the U.S. presence also helps block the potential transit of weapons for Hezbollah in Iran.
Bloomberg: Syria is not America's war, but it still needs attention
With Assad gone, the U.S. has an opportunity to be a unifying force in Syria. It would be a mistake not to use it, as the current events will affect the future course of the Middle East and US interests in this territory. Washington needs guarantees that IS* will not rise up after its defeat, and that the Baghdad-Damascus road will not turn into a highway to supply Hezbollah and destabilize Jordan and Israel. Israeli forces have already begun destroying abandoned Syrian military facilities to ensure that the remaining weapons are not used against the Jewish state.
Bloomberg
By themselves, however, Israel's maneuvers cannot provide long-term security. Moreover, if they continue, they must eventually provoke a response. The airstrikes were unplanned, but to consolidate their successes, they need a policy that ensures that no other hostile force - Syrian or external - fills the void left by Assad's fall
Israel cannot go it alone. The emergence of a stable neighbor interested in maintaining peace must be "led and financed by others." After more than a decade of civil war, there is a need for resources that only a united Arab world, in cooperation with Turkey, can provide to the Syrians.
Financial Times: Syrian Kurds risk becoming expendable under Donald Trump
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed Kurdish rebel group, is considered by Turkey to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its enemy. Syrian Kurds make up about 10% of the country's population, they reclaimed their territory during the civil war and fear they could be worse off under a rebel-led government backed by Turkey.
Financial Times
While the US has been arming the SDF to fight ISIS (ISIS, outlawed in Russia), the return of President-elect Donald Trump raises questions about how long Washington's support will last. The U.S. has used Kurdish groups as foot soldiers in Iraq and Syria for decades only to cut off support once they are no longer useful, and some fear that this outcome could put them at risk and give ISIL room to regroup
The Kurds are hopeful about the U.S. but worry they may be seen as expendable. Syrian Kurdish representatives say they expect autonomy under a federal structure, but the victorious Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (banned in Russia) has raised concerns about how it will govern the country. Disputes over Syria's new shape could exacerbate lingering discontent within the country and divisions between the U.S. and its ally Turkey.
National Interest: the US should not abandon its Kurdish partners in Syria
A campaign by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) rebels against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could shake up the only stable region in Syria and jeopardize the anti-IS* mission and Washington's interests.
National Interest
The United States should support its Kurdish and Arab SDF partners to avert a looming humanitarian and security crisis, mediate between the SDF and Turkey, and maintain leverage in shaping Syria's future amid shifting regional geopolitics. Withdrawing now will expose the region to instability and [the influence of] hostile players, undermining years of hard-won gains
The outgoing Biden administration should caution Turkey against further incursions into SDF-held areas. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's expected visit to Ankara on December 13 should make this a priority and lay the groundwork for resuming direct talks between Syrian Kurds and Ankara, which were suspended in 2015.
National Interest: Israel and Donald Trump 2.0: a re-launch of Trump 1.0?
Much has changed in the Middle East: it will be difficult for the new administration to simply implement its previous policies. It is widely believed in Washington and Middle Eastern capitals that the Trump administration is unlikely to object to any Israeli violations and will accept Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank. But Trump has also promised to end the conflict in Gaza and Ukraine. He may be impatient because of the cost to the U.S. of military action and distraction from other priorities, including moving military resources to East Asia.
National Interest
This would indeed pose an interesting dilemma for the new Trump administration: how to balance maintaining American dominance in the Middle East and support for Israel with containing the military and geoeconomic challenge from China?
Contrary to expectations that the new Trump administration will embrace an "Israel First" agenda, President-elect Trump may decide to pressure Israelis to commit to a two-state solution. It is possible that Trump 2.0 could move in this direction with the help of his Arab affairs advisor and his Lebanese-American relative Masada Boulos (who is Trump's matchmaker: Boulos' son is married to Trump's daughter. - Ed.).
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