[THREAD] Morning DC, as a 🇪🇺 newly arrived at the @Washinstitute, I’ve been surprised by several things in the current US discussion on #Syria and the fight against #ISIS. I have focused on two in this piece on @thehill: #endlesswars & #burdensharing thehill.com/opinion/intern… 1/
I have indeed heard a lot about the need to stop « #endlesswars » in the #MiddleEast. European can probably see good reasons for this from #Afghanistan to #Iraq, as many of them opposed the war in Iraq. However...2/
Seen from #Europe, #Syria is not one of US #endlesswars, but a low-cost, high-efficiency CT op. It has not been shaped by US intervention, rather by US reluctance to intervene. Europeans who opposed the US-led war in #Iraq consistently called for more U.S. leadership in Syria. 3/
Now I see your eyes rolling and hear you screaming « what have the Europeans done to share the burden of this ??? ». Breath, here is my second point. Europeans actually did contribute quite a lot. They own part of the territorial victory against #ISIS as well: 4/
A 🇫🇷 soldier was killed in action against #ISIS. 🇩🇪 aircrafts have been collecting intelligence to prepare fighting operations. 🇬🇧 advisers have been assisting local forces. 🇪🇺 experts have been de-mining buildings.... #burdensharing 5/
In NE #Syria, 🇪🇺 have together with the 🇺🇸 renovated #water-pumping stations, irrigation canals to restart #agriculture, provided #food and shelter to internally displaced Syrians. #IDP #burdensharing 6/
The national contributions of countries including #France, #Germany, the #UK and #Italy, together with the support of the @EU_Commission, total at least $400 million in #humanitarian and #stabilization support to NE #Syria since 2017. #burdensharing 7/
The discussion in DC has focused a lot on #ISIS members, blaming Europeans for not repatriating their nationals. They did actually took some back but let’s look at the numbers: 8/
11k #ISIS fighters are detained in NES and most of them are #Syrians or #Iraqis. Not even half of the 2k foreign fighters are Europeans. 54 countries are concerned. So the issue is international and #eurobashing won’t solve the problem and craft a solution. 9/
Some countries pledged to do more but no #burdensharing possible anymore since US troops withdrew. No visit of prisons, no access for NGOs, CT coop more difficult. The US did not only left, they terminated an intl platform for financial, humanitarian, diplo and milit efforts. 10/
Key questions for historians : YPG and Ankara were able to negotiate with each other before 2015. Why the U.S. could not push them back to the table to settle their conflict? 11/
Key questions for policymakers, how to do collaterals damage and prepare for potential new terrorist threats. #ISIS 12/ [END] thehill.com/opinion/intern…
