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28. They undoubtedly began to see the realization of their long-held dream of an independent or at least a semi-autonomous entity that protected them and their people. They thought the U.S. would be there for them. They thought wrong.
29. It was “transactional and temporary”. This was problematic from the beginning not only because it was destined to lead us to what we are seeing now, but also because it would inevitably make liars out of us.
30. To see the same policymakers who took us down this path now breathlessly denounce what is happening as a great betrayal is unfortunate, but expected. They are engaged in a re-write of a recent history that they themselves wrote only a few years ago.
31. They frame the crisis as another example of Trump’s erratic and callous nature. Trump is indeed both and one who will go down as the worst president in modern U.S. history. But he did not get us here.
32. Fr officials, pundits and politicians are now screaming that ISIS and Russia would benefit. They might, but ISIS and Russia would have never been in a position to benefit had we taken the difficult yet necessary step of ending Assad’s genocidal campaign against his people.
33. ISIS is the symptom; Assad is the disease. We chose a medicine (YPG) to hide the symptom (ISIS) knowing fully well that the patient (Syria) was still dying.
34. What’s needed? Honesty. Self-reflection. Decency.
35. Turkey is our ally. The YPG are our partners. ISIS is our enemy. The Russian mil/government (not the Russian people) and the IRGC (not the Iranian people) are regional and strategic challengers. Civilians in Syria (Kurdish and Arab) are victims.
36. We can deploy assistance to SDF-held areas south of the buffer zone Turkey is seeking to establish. We can send military, diplomatic, and assistance advisers there to credibly deter anyone from encroaching on those areas and to ensure that ISIS does not reemerge there.
37. We can augment SDF personnel watching over 70,000 ISIS prisoners and their families. We can repatriate foreigners among them to be prosecuted or released in their home countries.
38. Any U.S. official crying wolf now yet opposes the above is faking it. They have other motives.
39. We should spend less time bashing Turkey and more time stressing the importance of the Transatlantic Alliance of which Turkey is a crucial member irrespective of who rules it.
40. We should engage in quiet (not Twitter) diplomacy with Turkey to ensure that the buffer zone does not extend beyond the 30 km depth they seek to establish, and that no Syrian refugees are forcefully repatriated to that zone
41. We should even send personnel into the buffer zone (post operations) to keep an eye on any human rights violations or forced displacement of Kurds.
42. We should support efforts aimed at helping Turkey resolve its long-running war with the PKK. A peace agreement with the PKK means a peace agreement with the YPG. The alternative is before us. Fighting among allies & partners, civilians harmed, adversaries empowered.
@threadreaderapp, please unroll. Thanks.
Hi! the unroll you asked for: Thread by @WaelAlzayat: "A Recent, but Forgotten History: Syria 1. The Syrian crisis began in 2011 when a government decided that the only way to […]" #Assad #Syria https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1182346878073102340.html … See you soon. 
Thoughtful-but the FSA is very problematic. I represented refugees tortured by FSA forces. One myth of Syria is that there was a road not taken that did not carry great risk of tragic outcomes.
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