The After-effects of the U.S. Withdrawal from Syria

[Current Issues and Policies 2019-20]

Dr. Chung Eunsook

Senior Research Fellow, Department of Security Strategy Studies

The Sejong Institute

chunges@sejong.org

Executive Summary

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria on October 6, 2019, followed by Turkey’s attack on the Kurds in northeast Syria, marked an inflexion point in the Syrian Civil War. The War has lasted for eight years and is now getting lost in a maze. The IS (Islamic State) detention camp in northern Syria run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was destroyed; in the United States’s absence, the strongmen of Russia, Turkey, and Syria are allying and balancing in all directions. What is the U.S.‘s grand strategy? If it exists, is Trump going with it or against it? This event has great implications for the political situation in the Middle East, the international order, and the US-ROK alliance. Ever since President Trump took the office, the liberal international order has been facing a leadership vacuum. The new competition among the powers, the U.S., China, and Russia, raises concerns.

※ Translator’s note: This is a summarized unofficial translation of the original paper which was written in Korean. All references should be made to the original paper.

※ This article is written based on the author’s personal opinions and does not reflect

the views of the Sejong Institute.

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