Why President Trump Won’t Go to War in Syria

Tensions are running high after President Trump reacted to the use of chemical weapons in Syria. If you’re not familiar with how POTUS maneuvers people into positions so he can get what he wants, you might be a little freaked out. I’ve observed the master of the deal for a while now and I believe Trump will ultimately avert an escalation of the conflict in Syria.

Let me be clear: I did not say there won’t be an exchange of firepower in Syria. We already have troops in the region and they’re at risk of receiving incoming fire. If that happens, our troops will fire back and we may even launch a few missiles. Some exchange of firepower is inevitable. But I believe Trump will do everything possible to avoid making the situation worse, and ultimately, Syria, Iran, and Russia will end up at the negotiating table and a peace agreement will be the result. I believe that will happen because it’s what Trump has done in the past.

Teamwork

Trump is perceived by many to be a loner but he isn’t working alone. He’s recruited the help of leaders in the region. After he became President, he addressed a large group of Arab leaders and demanded they stop funding terrorism. To everyone’s surprise, it worked. Saudi Prince Mohammad Bin Salman took the lead. He arrested the core group of Saudi princes who had backed terror organizations and seized their assets. The Gulf coalition of states has shown remarkable unity in their opposition to Hezbollah, ISIS, and other terrorist groups. Recently, Prince Bin Salman has stated that Israel has a right to exist independently, which has irritated hardliners and he’s signaled his intent to reform Wahhabism.

Trump is rallying a coalition of nations to oppose the terror being propagated by Iran—the force behind Syrian President Bashir Al Assad.

Accountability

I’ve made this point before, but it bears repeating. If you want to change a dangerous dog’s behavior, you don’t go after the dog. You hold the dog’s owner accountable. Make life uncomfortable enough for him and he’ll make the dog behave. If you want to rein in a rogue nation, you don’t confront the nation. You find out who’s backing them and hold them accountable.

North Korea was causing problems for President Trump. North Korea is backed by China. Rather than deal with Kim Jong-Un, Trump applied pressure to China in various ways and after the price became too steep, President Xi arranged terms of peace with Trump and Kim Jong-Un. That same strategy will be used to with Iran, Syria, and Russia.

It’s true that the situation in Syria is a bit more complex. We have troops in Syria but not in North Korea. Syria is a proxy of Iran and Iran is a proxy of Russia. Other nations in the Middle East have a stake in the outcome, including Israel. There are a lot of moving parts but the dynamics of how Trump will negotiate his deal are the same. He’ll apply pressure to Iran and Russia, knowing that they’re responsible for what happens in Syria.

What is Trump doing to apply pressure to Russia?

He’s rallied a coalition of European nations to hold Putin accountable for the poisoning of a former spy. Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, announced that it had designated seven Russian oligarchs and 12 companies they own or control, 17 senior Russian government officials, a state-owned Russian weapons trading company and a Russian bank as being involved in corruption and/or human rights abuse and has frozen their assets. It may not seem like much, but coupled with other economic measures, Putin is likely to be feeling the pain of opposing Trump.

You may believe that Putin is not responsible for the poisoning of the former spy. You may believe that Assad is not responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. You may be right but who actually committed the crimes is more or less irrelevant to this discussion. The accusations are not being used as a pretext for war the way Obama and Bush used such accusations, Trump is using the public perception of these crimes as a pretext for peace.

Faked Out?

Don’t be fooled by Trump’s bluster and threats. He did the same thing to “Rocket Man” that he’s doing to the “Animal” Assad. Look how that turned out. Trump’s harsh words are the strength component of “peace through strength.” You can’t tell what he wants by listening to his fiery rhetoric. If anything, it’s a barometer of what he doesn’t want.

Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018

What does Trump want?

What he wants is usually kept secret but let’s look at what he’s said publicly.

He told us last week that he intends to withdraw our troops from Syria. Consider that he never reveals (especially to his enemies) his strategies and tactics—things that involve troop placement. He’s often criticized previous presidents for doing that. If Trump told the world a tactical objective, it wasn’t to let his enemies in on his plans. It was a diversion intended to get his enemies to move into a position that he can take advantage of. His enemies include the mainstream media, by the way

While the mainstream media is having a feeding frenzy over Trump’s saber-rattling toward Russia, Trump has already invited Vladimir Putin to a summit meeting at the White House—something no one would have known about if it hadn’t been leaked by a source inside the Kremlin. That goal, (the one no one was supposed to know about) is what Trump is actually moving toward.

It wouldn’t surprise me if a peace deal has already been made between Putin and Trump. Putin knows all too well that the media’s Russia collusion hysteria is the direct cause of tensions between the two nations.

Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018

Trump and Putin had a laugh over the idiocy of the mainstream media when they met for the first time. It’s not hard to imagine them actually colluding to teach the media a lesson by brokering a peace agreement via back channels all the while, allowing the press to further discredit themselves.

I could be wrong but I believe most of what we’re watching is theater. If that’s true, you might as well pop some popcorn and enjoy the show.

Please keep the leaders in prayer?