1/ @rgoodlaw, @BobbyChesney, @oonahathaway, other @just_security and @lawfareblog peeps, et al.: Can we make sense of the Syria announcement? Is this basically the gist?:
i. The U.S. is paying the SDF to detain our ISIL prisoners, and our troops are protecting the SDF. ...
i. The U.S. is paying the SDF to detain our ISIL prisoners, and our troops are protecting the SDF. ...
2/
ii. Now, the U.S. troops will leave, inviting Erdogan to "sweep away" (@nytimes euphemism) the SDF, which Turkey views as hostile terrorists.
iii. At which point "Turkey will be responsible" for the ISIL prisoners (per WH statement)-- . . .
ii. Now, the U.S. troops will leave, inviting Erdogan to "sweep away" (@nytimes euphemism) the SDF, which Turkey views as hostile terrorists.
iii. At which point "Turkey will be responsible" for the ISIL prisoners (per WH statement)-- . . .
3/
... but presumably no one will any longer be detaining them (why would SDF bother?).
iv. So the ISIL prisoners will be let loose? Detained by Turkey even though Turkey isn't in an armed conflict w/them?
v. And that's *in addition* to the question ...
... but presumably no one will any longer be detaining them (why would SDF bother?).
iv. So the ISIL prisoners will be let loose? Detained by Turkey even though Turkey isn't in an armed conflict w/them?
v. And that's *in addition* to the question ...
4/
... of whether Turkey's incursion will breach the UN Charter, and the fact that we are now presumably betraying the Kurds and leaving them to be slaughtered.
I don't ordinarily tweet this, but . . . WTF?
... of whether Turkey's incursion will breach the UN Charter, and the fact that we are now presumably betraying the Kurds and leaving them to be slaughtered.
I don't ordinarily tweet this, but . . . WTF?
