woahwoahwoahwoahwoah.

ok.

so, is isis completely destroyed? i don't think anybody said that. so, is there going to be further fighting? i would count on it. but, that's not the point.

the left side of the news media is making it seem like it's just a few hundred advisors leaving, and it's not such a big change. but, they're missing the context on the board. the united states is currently involved in an illegal occupation of northeastern syria. the fact that the americans are sitting there on this territory is placing the situation in a kind of suspended animation, because nobody wants to attack the americans - even if the turks using scary words, and the russians like to play chicken.

you'd be fucking retarded to start a war with the united states, and that is not a statement that requires an argument.

so, when the americans abandon this illegal occupation, it will allow the various actors - mostly the turks and russians - to come in and try and re-establish a concept of syrian sovereignty. and, of course the americans want to see the turks and russians get into a fight about this, and they very well might, but the basic point is that the strategy failed, so what's the point in continuing on with it?

so, sure, there's going to be some more insurgencies. but, shouldn't that be up to syria and iraq to deal with, with the help of their allies and protectors - the russians, the iranians? why is it america's responsibility to beat down militants in countries it has hostile relationships with? wasn't the whole point of this supposed to be to build the iraqi security forces up?

might america have to come back? sure. but, that's not a reason to stay. and, i do agree with the basic assessment that you can't stamp this out with force - but i need to add that you can't stamp it out with a set of social programs, either. this idea that this is about inequality is absolute rubbish. what you need to do is resolve the various proxy conflicts, which is probably impossible. but, the major proxy wars are all being fought against the saudis. so, realizing that as long as the saudis remain this basket case dictatorship that wants to re-establish a caliphate, the wars will continue means that taking out the saudis is a necessity for any meaningful peace in the region.

so, yes - there's still going to be an isis, but the idea is that the forces in the region should be able to contain it, from here. american policy in syria has now officially failed. and, the strategy consequently needs to shift.