The Sheriff of Manbij: US makes debut in the Syrian War
Interventionism is addictive, it starts with a simple task and one thing can lead to another.
The recent show of force in Manbij meant to preserve the US priority of launching the Raqqa battle and not get distracted in shenanigans of identity politics, writes Macaron (AP)
Yesterday
by Joe Macaron
Photos of US Humvees and Stryker combat vehicles patrolling the streets of Manbij are surreal, a reminder that we no longer are under Barack Obama's restrained doctrine. US generals are now in full control of US policy in Syria.
President Donald Trump is making good on his campaign promise not to tell the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) about his plans to defeat them, yet both allies and foes are puzzled by that new approach.
What is unmistakably true though is that recent changes in the structure, process and tactics of US policy are setting a new tone in northern Syria.
The new mindset
Unlike the centralised approach of his predecessor, the current US president has a hands-off approach - or rather, a preferential treatment - when it comes to the military.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/03/sheriff-manbij-debut-syrian-war-170311075055718.html