US President Joe Biden responded to the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria by launching airstrikes against ISIS camps, seeking to prevent the terror group’s resurgence. In contrast, President-elect Donald Trump has expressed little interest in getting involved, calling Syria a “mess” and saying he doesn’t want to get entangled.
However, experts disagree with Trump’s stance, arguing that the US must take action against ISIS. Brian Carter, a Middle East expert at the American Enterprise Institute, says that even if Trump’s advisors push for caution, they’ll still need to address the growing threat of ISIS.
While Biden and Trump differ in their public statements on Syria, experts predict that their policies will be similar, with a focus on keeping terrorist groups from exploiting the power vacuum left by Assad’s regime. The US has already conducted airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin describing the recent strikes as “pretty successful.”
As Biden nears the end of his term, he must navigate the complex web of Syrian politics and address emerging threats like the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The US is working to prevent chemical weapons from falling into the wrong hands in the wake of Assad’s regime collapse.
The fall of Bashar al-Assad has sent shockwaves through global politics, transforming the 21st century’s trajectory with far-reaching consequences for the Middle East and great powers that have long dominated the region.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2024/12/11/biden-trump-assad-syria-isolationism