NEWS, THE UNITED STATES IS
WATCHING AS AN ARMY FROM TURKEY
IS ATTACKING OUR ALLIES, THE
KURDS.
TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY AND
WHAT IF ANYTHING OUR
CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION CAN DO
ABOUT IT, WE'RE JOINED BY ANDREW
KYDD, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL
SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN.
WELCOME.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
AS OF LAST WEEK THE KURDS WERE
OUR ALLIES GUARDING THE REMNANTS
OF ISIS.
WHAT SENSE DOES IT MAKE FOR US
TO BACK UP AND LET THEM BE
BOMBED BY TURKEY?
>> WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
CRITICAL OF THAT MOVE AND THINK
IT DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE.
THE RATIONALE FROM THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN THAT THE
PRESIDENT WANTS TO GET AMERICAN
TROOPS OUT OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN
GENERAL.
HE THINKS OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE
MIDDLE EAST HAS BEEN A MISTAKE.
SO HE HAS WANTED OVER THE YEARS
EVER SINCE HE STARTED IN OFFICE
TO WITHDRAW U.S. FORCES FROM THE
REGION AND IN PARTICULAR FROM
SYRIA, WHICH HE THREATENED TO DO
BACK IN DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR
AND NOW HAS GONE AHEAD WITH IN
THE PAST COUPLE DAYS.
>> TRADITIONALLY, CONGRESS PLAYS
A ROLE IN ACTS OF WAR AND WE
HAVE HEARD DENUNCIATIONS FROM
DEMOCRATS, A LOT OF SILENCE FROM
REPUBLICANS.
GREEN BAY REPUBLICAN MIKE
GALLAGHER WROTE THIS UNDERMINES
OUR CREDIBILITY IN THE REGION.
WHAT ROLE DOES CONGRESS HAVE TO
PLAY?
CAN THEY STOP HIM FROM DOING
ANYTHING LIKE THIS?
>> THEY PROBABLY CAN'T STOP HIM
FROM DOING IT.
WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO AT
THIS POINT IS TO PASS A BILL, A
RESOLUTION AT LEAST, IMPOSING
SANCTIONS ON TURKEY FOR DOING
THIS AND TRY TO CONFRONT THE
PRESIDENT WITH HIS CHOICE OF
VETOING A BILL THAT WOULD
PROBABLY GET BIPARTISAN SUPPORT
IN THE SENATE, INCLUDING FROM
REPUBLICANS, OR NOT.
AND IF HE WERE TO SIGN IT, THEN
THE UNITED STATES WOULD BE
IMPOSING SANCTIONS ON TURKEY FOR
DOING SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENT
TRUMP HAD GIVEN THEM THE GREEN
LIGHT TO DO, TO INVADE NORTHERN
SYRIA.
SO THAT WOULD POSE A DILEMMA FOR
THE PRESIDENT.
>> WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM
CONSEQUENCES OF ABANDONING AN
ALLY LIKE THE KURDS?
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE WORRIED
THAT THIS WILL UNDERMINE
AMERICAN CREDIBILITY, NOT JUST
IN SYRIA, BUT AROUND THE WORLD
IN OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES AS WELL.
IF THE UNITED STATES CAN -- JUST
AS A RESULT OF A PHONE CALL WITH
A PARTICULAR LEADER REVERSE
YEARS OF POLICY IN THIS CASE,
WE'VE BEEN SUPPORTING THIS
PARTICULAR KURDISH GROUP EVER
SINCE 2015 IN THE STRUGGLE
AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE.
IF WE SPIN ON A DIME AND ABANDON
ANYONE WHO HAS FOUGHT WITH US,
LOST TENS OF THOUSANDS OF LIVES,
THAT'S CREATING WORRIES IN OTHER
COUNTRIES AS WELL, OTHER ALLIES
WHO DEPEND ON US SUCH AS ISRAEL,
TAIWAN TO SOME EXTENT, SOUTH
KOREA ARE GOING TO LOOK AT THAT
AND BE REALLY SCARED IN SOME
SENSE BY THE IN CONSTANCY OF
AMERICAN POLICY.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT.
>> ISN'T THAT TO BE EXPECTED IN
A DEMOCRACY WHERE WE CHANGE
LEADERS?
COULD THIS SHIFT AGAIN IF
THERE'S A NEW LEADER IN THE
WHITE HOUSE, CHANGE HOW WE'RE
INTERACTING WITH THESE ALLIES?
CAN WE GET THESE RELATIONSHIPS
BACK?
>> WE COULD.
IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO BUILD
TRUST AND IT CAN BE DESTROYED IN
A MOMENT.
SO IT MAY PROVE MORE DIFFICULT
TO RESTORE THAT TRUST IF IT IS
DAMAGED THROUGH THESE INCIDENTS.
AND OTHER COUNTRIES I THINK WILL
HAVE TO LOOK AT THE UNITED
STATES FROM NOW ON AND WONDER
WHAT IS THE SORT OF RANGE OF
AMERICAN POLICY GOING TO BE.
PREVIOUSLY THERE WAS A CERTAIN
CONSENSUS ABOUT CERTAIN
COMMITMENT ON THE PART OF THE
UNITED STATES, CERTAINLY TO
ISRAEL, TO SOUTH KOREA, AND THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN REALLY
QUESTIONING THOSE COMMITMENTS
AND COMPLAINING THAT THE
EUROPEANS ARE FREE RIDING OFF OF
US AND GENERALLY SEEMS TO HAVE A
PRETTY STRONG ANTIAPPLIANCE
POINT OF VIEW.
IF THAT'S GOING TO BE BECOME
DOMINANT, THAT'S A BIG SHIFT.
>>