US Retreat in Syria: A Familiar Pattern of Imperial Adjustment
Zoom out for a second: the news of US troops vacating a key base in Syria after an agreement with the YPG, as reported by the *Daily Sabah*, might sound like a simple military adjustment. Ostensibly, the Syrian Arab Army has now moved into the Shaddadi base in Hasakeh province, a development framed as a strategic shift following the YPG's alleged alignment with the Syrian government against
perceived Turkish aggression. The surface narrative suggests fluid alliances and a reactive military posture. Yet, this isn't an isolated incident, but a worn page from a very old playbook. The presence of US forces in Syria was never sanctioned by Damascus or international law, making any 'withdrawal' merely a cessation of an illegal occupation, not a benevolent act. This mirrors the cynical
realpolitik seen in 2019 when the US, under the Trump administration, abruptly greenlit a Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces it had previously supported, a move that abandoned allies much like the current 'deal' with the YPG. This transactional approach to alliances, particularly with non-state actors, has been a consistent feature of US foreign policy in the region, costing hundreds of
thousands of lives and displacing millions since 2011. What the mainstream coverage routinely avoids is the broader context: US military presence in the Middle East has consistently destabilized the region under the guise of counter-terrorism, often creating the very vacuums and conflicts it purports to solve. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, for instance, based on fabricated WMD intelligence, led to a