In a thought-provoking column published in The Hill, a prominent US political website, David L Phillips cautioned President-elect Donald Trump against a potential strategic blunder in northeast Syria: abandoning the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and delegating the responsibility of countering the remnants of ISIS to Turkey.
Phillips, currently serving at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Programme and an occasional contributor of articles and interviews to Medya News, painted a stark picture of the consequences if Trump were to act on his isolationist rhetoric. Trump’s recent statement, “Syria is not our friend. The United States should have nothing to do with it,” has sparked alarm among experts, especially given Turkey’s history of supporting extremist jihadist groups in the region.
Turkey and its proxies, including extremist factions such as the Syrian National Army (SNA), have long sought to destabilise Kurdish-held areas. Phillips underlined the pivotal role of the SDF: “The Kurds are guarding thousands of ISIS prisoners. If they redeploy to counter a Turkish invasion, the SDF will face a stark choice: defend their families or guard ISIS detainees.” He warned that such a scenario could lead to catastrophic outcomes, including a resurgence of ISIS.
“Defending their homes and families will have priority,” Phillips stated unequivocally. If Kurdish forces are forced to withdraw from guarding the estimated 10,000 ISIS prisoners and the al-Hol camp—home to 60,000 family members of detainees—Phillips warned of a potential jailbreak that could reignite terrorism across the region.
The former White House advisor pointed to the SDF’s sacrifices in the fight against ISIS, noting that “At least 11,000 Kurdish fighters have died fighting ISIS, and 23,000 were wounded.”
Phillips criticised Erdoğan’s ambitions in Syria, calling them opportunistic and detrimental to regional stability. He noted Turkey’s history of supporting ISIS during its 2014 assault on Kobani (Kobanê) and accused Erdoğan of harboring Hamas leaders and aligning with the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Phillips warned that Erdoğan’s aggression would exacerbate tensions within NATO and could lead to a direct confrontation with the US. He pointed to Capitol Hill’s concerns, with bipartisan figures such as Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Senator Chris Van Hollen threatening sanctions against Turkey for any invasion of Kurdish territories.
The article serves both as a critique of past US missteps and as a warning for the future. He described northeast Syria as an “island of stability amid chaos” and lauded the SDF for their commitment to democracy, gender equality and minority rights. He argued that abandoning the Kurds would tarnish America’s credibility: “Who will join US-led counterinsurgency efforts if we abandon the Kurds now?”
In an interview with Erem Kansoy of Medya News in December 2023
David L Philips argued that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) should not be labelled a terrorist organisation, stressing that the Kurds pose no threat to the regimes in either Ankara or Damascus.
Phillips concluded with a plea for “moral clarity”: “The Kurds are America’s allies and friends with whom we share strategic interests and values. To secure US interests and reputation, Washington must deter Turkey’s aggression.”
The Hill continues to shape US political discourse, and Phillips’s column amplifies a critical warning at a pivotal time for US foreign policy in the Middle East.
