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  • VERY DANGEROUS, INDEED, WITH ALL

  • OF THE DIFFERENT FORCES PILING

  • INTO THIS PART OF NORTHERN

  • SYRIA.

  • ERIC?

  • ERIC: BENJAMIN, THANK YOU SO

  • MUCH.

  • ARTHEL: WE'RE GOING TO BRING IN

  • FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT

  • SECRETARY OF STATE, JOEL RUBIN.

  • WHAT IS TURKEY DOING, WHAT IS

  • RUSSIA DOING?

  • >> YEAH, ARTHEL, TURKEY IS ABOUT

  • TO ENGAGE IN ETHNIC CLEANSING,

  • AND RUSSIA IS BACKING THEM UP.

  • AND IT'S REALLY TRAGIC BECAUSE

  • WE HAD OUR FOOT ON THE NECK,

  • ESSENTIALLY, OF ISIS.

  • WE DEFEATED THEM, AND NOW DONALD

  • TRUMP IS TAKING IT OFF.

  • AND I UNDERSTAND WHY HE CLAIMS

  • HE WANTS TO BRING OUR TROOPS

  • HOME, BUT AS YOU HEARING FROM

  • THIS REPORT AS WELL, OUR TROOPS

  • AREN'T COMING HOME.

  • THEY'RE GOING TO IRAQ, THEY'RE

  • STAYING IN SYRIA, AND TURKEY NOW

  • FEELS FREE REIN TO ENGAGE IN

  • MASSACRING OUR KURDISH ALLIES

  • WHO HELPED US DEFEAT ISIS, AND

  • IT'S A REAL TRAGEDY.

  • ARTHEL: YEAH.

  • AND THE TROOPS THAT WENT TO

  • IRAQ, IRAQ SAYING YOU DIDN'T ASK

  • ME IF YOU COULD BRING YOUR

  • TROOPS OVER THERE.

  • YOU'VE GOT ONE MONTH TO GET THEM

  • OUT OF HERE.

  • MEANWHILE, I WANT TO SHOW YOU A

  • TWEET FROM BRETT McGURK,

  • FORMER SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL

  • ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST, AS YOU

  • KNOW, TO DEFEAT ISIS.

  • HE WORKED UNDER PRESIDENTS BUSH,

  • OBAMA AND TRUMP.

  • SYRIA, LAST 24 HOURS, U.S.

  • MILITARY RETURNS TO GUARD OIL

  • FIELDS.

  • THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES STREAM IN

  • OTHER DIRECTION INTO NORTHERN

  • IRAQ.

  • ERDOGAN THREATENS AGAIN TO DO

  • THE CLEANSING WORK IN KURDISH

  • AREAS.

  • U.S. FORCES LEFT TO RUSSIA AND

  • ASSAD.

  • INCOHERENTMENT SO, JOEL --

  • INCOHERENT.

  • SO, JOEL, HAS PRESIDENT TRUMP

  • RELINQUISHED ALL U.S. POWER TO

  • COMBAT OR OFFSET THE RAPID

  • DAMAGE BEING DONE BY ERDOGAN AND

  • PUTIN?

  • >> HE HAS.

  • I HAVE TO SAY IT STRAIGHT LIKE

  • YOUD ASKED, HE ABSOLUTELY HAS.

  • HE COMPOUNDED IT NOT JUST BY

  • GIVING THE GREEN LIGHT TO

  • ERDOGAN TO INVADE NORTHERN SYRIA

  • AND HAVE OUR TROOPS WHO WERE

  • ACTING AS A BUFFER, THEY WERE

  • PEACEKEEPERS.

  • THEY WERE NOT ENGAGED IN ACTIVE

  • COMBAT.

  • WHEN HE REMOVED THEM, HE GAVE

  • THE GREEN LIGHT TO TURKEY.

  • BUT EVEN THIS WEEK HE FALSELY

  • CLAIMED THAT THE CEASEFIRE WAS

  • HOLDING AND HE WOULD, THEREFORE,

  • RELAX AND TAKE AWAY AMERICAN

  • SANCTIONS ON TURKEY, THEREBY

  • ESSENTIALLY TELLING ERDOGAN

  • YOU'RE FREE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT.

  • AND NOW ERDOGAN MADE A DEAL WITH

  • RUSSIA, RUSSIA IS THE BIG POWER,

  • AND AT A STRATEGIC LEVEL THAT

  • MEANS NOW WE'D HAVE TO TAKE ON

  • RUSSIA TO GET BACK IN, AND

  • THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

  • WE REALLY HAVE VERY FEW LEVERS

  • TO INFLUENCE WHAT'S HAPPENING ON

  • THE GROUND.

  • ARTHEL: MEANWHILE, PRESIDENT

  • TRUMP IS SAYING U.S. TROOPS WILL

  • GO BACK IN TO PROTECT THE OIL

  • FIELDS IN EASTERN SYRIA.

  • HOW MANY TROOPS WOULD REALLY BE

  • NEEDED FOR THIS, AND WILL THEY

  • TRY TO REENLIST HELP FROM THE

  • KURDS?

  • >> THIS IS THE HIGHLY DEBATABLE,

  • AND THIS IS THE DANGER WITH THE

  • WAY THAT THE PRESIDENT ENACTED

  • THIS POLICY.

  • HE DID NOT PLAN IT OUT.

  • THERE WAS NO INTERAGENCY PROCESS

  • WITH THE DoD TO SECURE OIL

  • FIELDS.

  • SO NOW THEY'RE GOING IN, BUT

  • IT'S NOT EVEN CLEAR THAT THAT'S

  • A BIG PRIORITY, QUITE FRANKLY.

  • OIL FIELDS IN THE PAST, THEY

  • WERE USED TO FUND ISIS, THEN WE

  • DESTROYED THEM THROUGH AIR

  • RAIDS.

  • IT'S NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THE

  • ACTUAL PURPOSE IS.

  • HE MAY FIND IT ATTRACTIVE, THERE

  • ARE OTHERS WHO WANT US TO CREEP

  • BACK IN AND THINK THAT'S A WAY

  • TO BEGIN TO DO THAT.

  • BUT FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE,

  • THE OIL FIELDS ARE VERY

  • INSIGNIFICANT, QUITE FRANKLY.

  • CERTAINLY TO OUR OIL USE HERE AT

  • HOME.

  • THE BIG ISSUE IS TURKEY'S

  • INCURSION NOW INTO AN ETHNIC

  • CLEANSING OPERATION AGAINST THE

  • KURDS AND RUSSIA'S STRONGHOLD

  • RIGHT THERE.

  • THOSE ARE THE BIG ISSUES THAT

  • WE'RE NOT GRAPPLING WITH AND

  • THAT WE SHOULD BE.

  • ARTHEL: SO FAR YOU'VE GOT 900

  • SQUARE MILES THAT HAVE BEEN

  • SEIZED BY TURKISH AND RUSSIAN

  • FORCES, 160,000 KURDISH

  • CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN DISPLACED.

  • SO WILL THE KURDS, ALL ALL

  • DIVISIONS, BE SLAUGHTERED OR IS

  • THERE REALLY A DEAL WITH THE

  • DEVIL THAT CAN SAVE THEM?

  • >> WELL, THE KURDS THOUGHT THEY

  • HAD A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL, AND

  • THAT DEVIL BEING ASSAD OF SYRIA.

  • AND THEY THOUGHT HE WOULD

  • PROVIDE PROTECTION, BUT THAT

  • PROTECTION HASN'T COME.

  • RUSSIA CONTROLS ASSAD.

  • WILL RUSSIA STEP IN AND

  • POTENTIALLY PROTECT THEM?

  • BUT THE BIG QUESTION HOVERING

  • OVER ALL OF THIS IS THEN WHAT?

  • WHAT ABOUT THE THREE AND A HALF

  • MILLION SYRIANS SITTING IN

  • SOUTHERN TURKEY?

  • WILL THEY BE PUSHED INTO THOSE

  • CLEARED AREAS, CREATING A

  • VIOLATION OF THE GENEVA

  • CONVENTIONS OF A MASS POPULATION

  • TRANSFER IN THE PROCESS?

  • NONE OF THESE ARE ADDRESSED.

  • BUT WE NEED TO HAVE A ROBUST,

  • FRANKLY, ROBUST INTERNATIONAL

  • DIPLOMATIC DISCUSSION NOW WITH

  • URGENCY TO INSURE THAT THESE

  • ISSUES GET DISCUSSED AND

  • RESOLVED.

  • BUT THAT TIME WAS BEFORE WE

  • LEFT.

  • WE STILL HAVE TO TRY TO DO IT,

  • BUT THOSE ARE THE ISSUES RIGHT

  • NOW THAT ARE VERY SERIOUS AND,

  • YES, I THINK AN ETHNIC CLEANSING

  • IS VERY MUCH IN THE OFFING

  • POTENTIALLY FROM TURKEY.

  • ARTHEL: FINALLY, JOEL WITH, WHAT

  • ABOUT ISIS?

  • WILL ISIS REGROUP AGAIN?

  • NOT NECESSARILY AS A CALIPHATE,

  • BUT ENOUGH TO SERIOUSLY THREATEN

  • THE U.S. AND EUROPEAN ALLIES?

  • >> SO THINK OF IT, IF YOU'RE THE

  • KURDS WHO HAVE BEEN FIGHTING

  • ISIS AND THEY LOST 31,000

  • PLUS -- 11,000 PLUS SOLDIERS AT

  • OUR REQUEST WHEN THEY COMBATED

  • ISIS FIGHTERS, THEY WERE THE

  • ONES PROTECTING AND GUARDING

  • AGAINST ISIS.

  • NOW THEY'RE DEFENDING FOR THEIR

  • LIVES, THEY'RE PROTECTING THEIR

  • FAMILIES.

  • ISIS IS THE LAST THING ON THEIR

  • MIND.

  • AND WE ALSO HAVE MANY PROBLEMS

  • WITH TURKEY RELATED TO ISIS OVER

  • THE YEARS, AND THE TURKS DID NOT

  • VIEW ISIS AS THEIR THREAT, THEY

  • VIEW KURDISH MILITIAS AS THEIR

  • THREAT.

  • ISIS, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE

  • GUARDED BY THE KURDS.

  • SO WHAT HAPPENS THEN?

  • WE HAVE ISIS FREE.

  • ARTHEL: AND THEY'RE NOT JUST,

VERY DANGEROUS, INDEED, WITH ALL

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