I spent 8 years criticizing Obama's retreats and I can do the same about Trump's without being accused of partisanship. More of the world under the control of Iran, Russia, & thugs like Assad is wrong & dangerous for everyone & every American.
Nobody likes the "global policeman" but nobody wants to live in a neighborhood, or society, without any police on the beat either. The power vacuum is filled immediately & they don't stop targeting the free world.
From waves of desperate refugees to homegrown terrorists inspired by Islamic State, walking away makes things worse at home even if you don't care about the slaughter in Syria & Iraq.
Everyone from Putin to the Taliban will be emboldened by the US retreat. Why negotiate or concede anything when the US will just abandon its values and its allies?
And keep in mind that Trump, like Putin, cares for nothing other than himself. So whether you agree with it or not, what he is getting personally in return for this move is the key to understanding it.
If it's a gift or quid pro quo to Putin & Erdogan or a useful distraction from domestic woes, the decision has nothing to do with US interests. That's the most dangerous fact, even if you agree with the retreat.
As I wrote a few weeks ago in the @NYDailyNews, it's Trump First, not America First. And if you don't care about human life & human rights abroad, you soon stop caring about them at home. nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-ope…
