SDF Pulls Out: US 'Allies' Retreat, Turkish Interests Advance
The withdrawal of SDF fighters from Aleppo, as reported by Al Jazeera, highlights a familiar pattern: America's 'allies' in the region are often expendable when geopolitics shift. For years, the SDF, largely comprised of Kurdish forces, were Washington's primary ground proxy against ISIS, receiving arms and training. Yet, when Turkish interests (a NATO ally, albeit a troublesome one) demanded
their weakening, the rhetoric of partnership dissolved faster than a peace treaty. This isn't an isolated incident. Historians will recall how the U.S. backed a coup against the democratically elected government of Mossadegh in Iran in 1953, only to support the Shah, leading to decades of resentment. Or the 1991 encouragement of an Iraqi uprising, followed by a swift withdrawal of support, leaving
Shia and Kurdish rebels to Saddam's mercy. Now, the SDF finds itself in a similar bind. One might wonder, how many times must a 'partner' be sacrificed on the altar of grand strategy before they learn to look beyond Washington’s transient loyalties?