SDF's 'Goodwill' Gesture: From US Ally To Assad's Negotiating Table
The SDF, long championed and armed by the US to fight ISIS, now finds itself engaging with the Assad regime—the same regime the US officially deems illegitimate. While Al-Monitor might call this 'talks,' it's more accurately a desperate hedge against anticipated US withdrawal and Turkish aggression. This isn't newfound Syrian solidarity; it's a cold strategic calculation forged in the shadow of
American geopolitical fickleness. Remember Washington's withdrawal from Afghanistan (2021) or their recent 'de-escalation' in Iraq (2024)? Allies become liabilities surprisingly fast when 'national interest' shifts. One might wonder if these 'goodwill' gestures are less about genuine rapprochement and more about securing a less brutal future for a group consistently used and potentially discarded
by its patrons.