The president recently announced that he would withdraw 2000 troops from Syria, and in turn, U.S influence in the area. He stated that ISIS had been defeated in the area, which means that there is no longer a reason to have U.S involvement in the area

Usually, these types of announcements are done by the White House in concurrence with Congress and key agencies. However, in this case the president acted alone, which resulted is some backlash.

Some of the president’s administration is against of the idea of leaving Syria because of the potential consequences it could have for the United States and its partners. In protest to the president’s announcement, Secretary of Defense James Mattis along with the Pentagon Chief of Staff, Kevin Sweeney resigned. Others have tried to convince the president to increase U.S presence in Syria. It is possible that more will resign if pulling out of Syria actually goes through.

“We should strive to help our allies around the world,” said Logan Schomaker, 10.

National Security Adviser John Bolton has advocated for more troops in Syria to deter the influence of Iran. Originally, Bolton convinced Trump to agree to an indefinite military presence in Syria. However, this agreement did not play out because Saudi Arabia was not willing to fund a long-term presence in Northern Syria.

On the other hand, James Mattis wants to stay in Syria to fight ISIL and push towards conflict resolution. He disagrees with Bolton’s goals and beliefs that they will cause confrontation with Iran.

“I think that the president should listen to his staff’s advice and do what his experts tell him to,” said Aidan Jone, 12.

One consequence of leaving would be that the Syrian Kurds who are allied with the United States would be threatened. Leaving may cause negative ramifications for the group.

Bolton has made a pledge not to pull troops out of Syria until the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant have been defeated. In addition, Bolton assures the safety of Kurdish fighters allied with the US. Israel and other allies are also a concern of the administration.

Without the United States, the burden of solving the conflict is given to Russia and Turkey. These two nations will likely attempt to fill in the power vacuum left by the United States in its departure. On another note, the United States might be able to reach an agreement with Russia to reduce Iran’s role in Syria.Kur

Depending on what  decision comes to fruition, there may be a dramatic change for the geopolitical situation for Syria and all the powers at play.