Jeremy Scahill's Top 10 Takeaways on Mattis Exit and Possible US Withdrawal From Syria and Afghanistan

Published on

Friday, December 21, 2018

"This is an opportunity for progressive forces to assert an alternative vision for U.S. foreign policy."

by

Jessica Corbett, staff writer

 10 Comments

Journalist Jeremy Scahill on Friday weighed in on major foreign policy developments out of the Trump administration. (Photo: Charlie Rose/screenshot)

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:

jeremy scahill

✔@jeremyscahill

 · 11h

1. I support withdrawing US troops from all these wars, overt and covert.
2. Trump is an unstable authoritarian who cannot be trusted.
3. “Mattis was an adult” is bullshit. He’s a hawkish war criminal.
4. It’s very telling that the war party in DC is furious.

jeremy scahill

✔@jeremyscahill

5. This is an opportunity for progressive forces to assert an alternative vision for US foreign policy.
6. Trump is a crooked charlatan. But these withdrawals would represent a dent in the armor of the bipartisan war machine.
7. This chaos presents opportunity.

2,555

9:05 PM - Dec 21, 2018

jeremy scahill

✔@jeremyscahill

 · 6h

Replying to @jeremyscahill

8. There is a real possibility Trump will withdraw forces from Afghanistan and use Erik Prince’s forces. This must be opposed ferociously.
9. One consequence of major drawdowns could be a dramatic uptick in covert actions and air strikes. Obama embraced that model.

jeremy scahill

✔@jeremyscahill

10. 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.

1,205

1:51 AM - Dec 22, 2018

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