Weekly Report #5

I found an article from the New York Times on 30 March 2018, which talks about how Trump ordered the State Department to suspend funds for Syria recovery. “President Trump, having this week signaled a possible withdrawal of American troops from Syria, has ordered the State Department to suspend more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts there while the administration reassesses its role in the conflict.” Part of the reason for the suspension of funds are due to the fact that two members, one American, and one British solider were killed, and five others were injured. President Trump ordered 2,000 troops out of Syria, however, “the comments surprised Defense Department officials who have maintained that some kind of American presence in parts of Syria may be necessary to avoid recreating the conditions that led to the rise of the Islamic State.” It is unclear how the death of the soldiers, and injured soldiers led to his decision. I am unsure why funds for Syria recovery were suspended after reading this article because I don’t understand what purpose that serves. In addition, I agree with the Defense Department that it is essential to have some presence in Syria to make sure ISIS does not gain territory. I don’t understand what triggered President Trumps decision because even though it is extremely sad that soldiers were injured and killed, it is not like 700 soldiers were killed, or something more significant like that. I would be curious to know how long the suspensions last and what the future holds.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/world/middleeast/syria-us-coalition-deaths.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fmiddleeast&action=click&contentCollection=middleeast&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=9&pgtype=sectionfront