Trump Shows His Weakness

American President Donald Trump once again played into the hands of an autocrat. He decided on a whim to recall American forces from northern Syria, leaving their Kurdish allies to suffer sustained fire from Turkey.

The Middle East, a volatile powder keg, is headed toward a humanitarian crisis intensified by the American withdrawal. President Trump justified his erratic decision as a desire to let the main players in Syria sort out disputes among themselves.

Foreign policy under Trump is a never-ending disaster, causing the immediate and major realignment of local alliances.

The last few days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan increased bombings against Kurdish positions in Syria. The Turkish autocrat did not hide his intention to chase out of Turkey most of the 3.6 billion Syrian refugees who have sought shelter there since the beginning of the civil war eight years ago. Erdogan explained during a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly that he hopes to establish a “safety zone” in Syria along its border with Turkey, with 200,000 buildings to house 2 to 3 billion refugees. For Ankara, this plan is a good way to solve the domestic crisis caused by refugees in Turkey and to foil the Kurds’ wishes for independence.

A great plan to set the region on fire. Since Wednesday, the fighting has caused more than 70 deaths and forced 100,000 individuals to flee from their homes. The Kurds, abjectly betrayed by the U.S., approached Bashar al-Assad’s regime to obtain protection against the Turkish offensive. For the first time since the beginning of the civil war, Syrian troops are advancing in the north-east of the country, allowing al-Assad to nurture the hope of regaining complete control of Syria.

Trump’s government threatens to impose sanctions if the Turkish offensive goes too far. But how can this president be taken seriously, with his conflicting arguments written in caps lock on Twitter? How much can his word be valued when he shamelessly uses foreign diplomacy to undermine a Democratic opponent in the presidential election?

Once again, the U.S. has weakened its position as a credible player in the very complex search to establish lasting peace in the Middle East. The erosion of the American word will be one of Trump’s most long-lasting legacies, whether or not he is reelected.