Trump Sides With Putin On Syria: "You Should Let Russia Destroy ISIS As Opposed To Saying 'We're Jealous'"

Earlier this month, conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt embarrassed Donald Trump on air with a series of questions about Mid-East foreign policy issues that included quizzing the GOP frontrunner on the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah as well as asking Trump to explain the significance of Iranian power brokers breaking UN travel bans to help coordinate the Syrian war effort with The Kremlin. 

Trump clearly didn’t know it, but he had a great opportunity for a GOP-voter-friendly soundbite. 

What he should have said, if he wanted to bolster his position with Republican primary voters who might be a bit concerned about his foreign policy credentials was something along the lines of this: "Hamas and Hezbollah are both threats to our ally Israel and when we see things like broken UN travel bans by important Iranians it means the Obama administration has weakened Washington’s position vis-a-vis Iran by signing a bad nuclear deal." 

Of course Hewitt knew Trump wouldn’t be able to answer the questions and so to be fair to the Teflon Don, it was most assuredly a media “gotcha” moment, but what it did underscore is the extent to which Trump is strong on overarching foreign policy themes (“America is weak, our leaders are losers, our deals are terrible”) and short on specifics, even when the opportunity to support his contentions literally falls into his lap.

Now that Trump appears to be getting serious about building a platform based on actual policy recommendations (see his recently unveiled tax plan which, even if it's far-fetched is at least a plan) rather than grand pronouncements that sound inspirational but are largely amorphous, the Donald is weighing in on Syria. Here’s Reuters with more:

Leading Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday said he supported Russian efforts to fight Islamic State militants in the Middle East, including Syria.

Asked whether he backed those like Russia who supported Syrian President Bashar al Assad or those who see him as the source of Syria's current crisis, Trump told NBC's "Today" program: "I side with the group that says if Russia wants to go and fight ISIS, you should let them as opposed to saying were jealous we don't want you to do that."

Asked about whether Assad was the source of the country's ills, Trump said it was not clear and questioned who would replace him if he were ousted.

"The people that want to come in and replace Assad, nobody knows who they are and they could end up being worse," he said. "We're constantly going out and siding with people and they turn out to be worse than the people who were there before."

In other words, Trump has no idea here either but what he does know is that the US habitually makes the same basic mistake in the Mid-East when considerations of geopolitical expediency lead Washington to oust Arab strongmen only to watch in horror as subsequent puppet governments crumble and are eventually replaced or at least partially supplanted by something far worse than the regime the US helped to overthrow. Meanwhile it is of course the people of these countries who suffer as is clearly evident in Syria. 

So say what you will about Trump and foreign policy, but at least he understands that much and indeed, an honest understanding of that basic concept may have been all that was needed to avoid the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Syria.

Comments

[superdave]

Trump has no clue when it comes to foreign policy but he has no problem stating the obvious.  It's refreshing to hear someone speak without having a dozen political advisers phrase his words.  Yes, he's a meglomaniac and he has no clue as to the depth of the corruption in the USSA government.  If elected he won't last long; but he doesn't have a chance. 

[Lucky Leprachaun]

Exactly. and what about forign policy 'experts' like McStain, who confused the President of Spain with an international terrorist and thought Afghanistan bordered Iraq?

[overmedicatedun...]

anybody out there have a clue? presidents don't know shia from sunni nor should they, they hire people who do, the problem is those hired work for somebody else.  being president means you are a pol and your only job is to look good, like those models walking the stage dressed by others just trained to smile, brainless does not hurt, thinking you are in control while around you the staff laughs and laughs.

[bid the soldier...]

Let's not get giddy, boys, about what The Donald, or anyone else for that matter, can or will do.

Does anyone familiar with this web site doubt that the CIA runs the show in Washington and tells the President what to do?  Does anyone doubt that the CIA is the political and foreign policy branch of the US Military?

If so get thee into a remedial Political Science class immediately. 

2000 years ago during the hegemony of Rome  --  the only other Empire  approaching the absolute global rule of the US today  --  the power and function of the Praetorian Guard approximated that of the CIA.

Because of the difference in time, it is impossible to make a total analogy between the two.

The Praetorians were known to engage in espionage, intimidation, arrests and killings to protect the interests of the Roman emperor. For clandestine operations, they may have employed a special wing of troops known as “speculatores.” Formerly a reconnaissance corps under the Roman Republic, by the imperial era this unit had graduated to serving as couriers and intelligence operatives in the service of the Caesar. Speculatores and other members of the Praetorians would disguise themselves as ordinary citizens at gladiator contests, theatrical performances and protests to monitor and arrest anyone who criticized the emperor. They also kept tabs on suspected enemies of the state, and in some cases they even secretly executed those judged to be an imminent threat to the emperor or his policies.

Of course, the Emperor's policies being the same as the policies of the Praetorian Guard.

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/8-things-you-may-not-know-abou...

[Herdee]

Get McCain and Nuland over there.Victoria,don't forget your nazi cookies.

[Hubbs]

I think Trump is rehashing Socrates. "I know I know nothing. But at least I therefore know one thing more than everyone else."

No one, I mean no one, really knows / is able to predict what the hell will happen, can happen, should have happened in the Middle East, and so I have to side with Trump on this one.

Like the Hippocratic oath in Medicine: "Primum no nocere". Which means  "First, do no harm." In other words, if you don't know what you are doing, then get the hell out / do nothing.

[I-am-not-one-of-them]

Trump is obviously not in the loop (as is Obomba), otherwise he would know that ISIS is a CIA asset, and they murder women and children for America.

Wonder if he would be appalled of that fact, or would he just tow the line.

Presidential candidates... so naive.

[Shaznardickleze...]

Well this will just make McInsane McCain look bad won't it. I can't believe his heffer daughter has her own radio show. It's like an American knock off of the Brzezinski father and daughter. Who knew Putin would come out the other side of the shit pipe smelling like irish spring.

[thebigunit]

Donald Trump, Carly Fiorina, and John Kerry ride into a bar on horses.

Trump says to the bartender: "Whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses".

The bartender replies: "So, how many whiskies, and how many beers?"