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Comment by orangepurple | Hacker News Reader

Why is there a US military base in Syria?

You just have to read the first paragraph. So much laziness...

" A military base in southern Syria where U.S. troops have maintained a presence to train forces as part of a broad campaign against the Islamic State group was attacked by drones on Thursday, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press."

I think it's a valid question. Read between the lines.

https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2023-08-17/syri...

https://dod.defense.gov/OIR/

The question should be why the U.S is not doing more not why it has a military base in Syria.

The lesson from Afghanistan is that military alone is not sufficient. Social and political issues(i.e bribery vulnerabilities, education level of the locals, Turkey's relation with the kurds) needs to be addressed as well. However you can't train local troops without a military base in the first place regardless of their education level nor you can enforce social changes.

Your quote is circular. There is base because US want so, not more not less.

I don't see anything circular in that. U.S wants to protect its interests in that region and to do so it considers it needs a military base.

As the only military Superpower I think it makes sense.

Are you looking for a different kind of argument(i.e ethical or biblical)?

Let's go for a biblical one. Circular one I've see twice in this thread.

Unfortunately I don't have that one. You have to ask on a different forum.

I think it was ethical or political. e.g. "WTF is the US doing having bases in Syria".

The answer of "WFT it wants to" isn't very enlightening, even from a realpolitik perspective.

Why is the US occupying part of Syria? Why is the US involved in the middle east at all?

>> Why is the US occupying part of Syria? Why is the US involved in the middle east at all?

Because it has economic or geopolitical interests(or both) in there and because it can. Even a tiny country(i.e Belarus, North Korea) can play a role in a big conflict so why would U.S give up influence?

If the U.S doesn't show up Russia or China takes the whole cake(influence wise).

Not to mention the 9/11 thing. Imagine the whole Syria ruled by Al-Qaeda or IS

Like it or not America's isolationism ended after WWII began and I think overall it was a good thing for the whole world(at least a big part of it).

You didn't answer the question. You just said "doing what it wants“ in different words.

It sounds like you have no idea what those nebulous reasons are.

That was my first question.

So the US has military bases in a country that it has been bombing and fighting but never declared war on?

Here's the Assistant Undersecretary for Defense explaining it in 2019:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSE3FWKFp4g&t=115s

It's so we can starve the Syrian government of oil income (which was ~25% of government revenues pre-war), and prevent them from rebuilding their country.

Because it is a regional hegemon and wants to protect its assets and there's nothing Syria can do about it.

In a round about way: Protecting trade routes during the most prosperous epoch in human history.

The US has been in a war with the Syrian regime trying to take it down (which is an ally of Iran which is an ally of Russia which is an ally of China).

When was this "War on Syria" declared ? Can you point me to the congress declaration of War ? Even a Presidential declaration of War on Syria would be great.

The Kurdish locals there want them there.

The military base is primarily there to protect the U.S. exploitation of the al-Omar oil field.

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