Turkey’s Invasion of Syria Is an Issue
Foreign policy made a rare foray into the Democratic debate with a focus on Trump’s widely criticized move to withdraw forces from northern Syria, opening the region to Turkey’s military to attack Kurdish militias previously allied with America.
Biden, who led the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before he was vice president, vigorously attacked the president’s move, saying he would provide more air power to support 1,000 U.S. troops who he would keep in the region, for now.
He touted his previous experience meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and -- apologizing for going over his allotted time -- accused Trump of being “an erratic, crazy president who doesn’t know a damn thing about foreign policy and operates out of fear for his own re-election.”
On the other side was Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who served in Iraq and has been a longtime opponent of “regime change wars.” She said Trump has the “blood of the Kurds on his hands” but said other politicians did, too, for supporting U.S. engagement in Syria.
Her comments conflicted with those of Afghanistan war veteran Buttigieg, who said Trump’s decision to draw forces in Syria down quickly led to “the beginning of a genocide and the resurgence” of Islamic State.
--With assistance from Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou, Emma Kinery, Laura Davison and Jenny Leonard.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.