Mark Perry joins the show to talk about President Trump’s bombshell news that he plans to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Perry says most people in the military think this is absolutely the right move, despite many loud claims to the contrary from pundits on both left and right. Perry considers it eminently reasonable to take the position that American military presence probably can’t singlehandedly shift the political landscape in Syria—not to mention the fact that our presence endangers the relationship with Turkey, a NATO member and our ally. Perry and Scott also talk about Yemen, where President Trump has similarly promised an end to U.S. support. In Yemen, and almost everywhere else the United States tries to intervene, explains Perry, we’ve ended up strengthening and emboldening the Iranians, often expressly the opposite of what was intended.

Discussed on the show:

• “Saudi Arabia’s Blood Pact With a Genocidal Strongman” (The American Conservative)
• “Trump’s Decision to Leave Syria Was No ‘Surprise’” (The American Conservative)
• “12/17/18 Reese Erlich on All Trump’s Wars” (Libertarian Institute)
• “US generals: Saudi intervention in Yemen ‘a bad idea’” (Al Jazeera)
• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
• “The Redirection” (The New Yorker)
• Chinese Civil War
• Anbar campaign
• Second Intifada
• Jamal Khashoggi

Mark Perry is the author of Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage with its Enemies and The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur. His most recent book, The Pentagon’s Wars was released in October. Read his work at The American Conservative Magazine and follow him on Twitter @MarkPerryDC.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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