Owais Shah
With the end of Long and unpredictable presidential campaign, now, Trump has filled the presidential office. With Trump’s victory, foreign capitals are expecting a major shift in US foreign policy and speculations about Trump are based on his speeches delivered during his campaign. The inexperienced Trump in his new field has put US foreign policy under question. Trump’s Policy reflects an isolationist theme. Foreign capitals are feared to have had a major shift which might hurt traditional US commitments and alliances, which is indeed an alarming situation for third world countries.
Middle East has always been important for US as its intervention of Iraq in 2003 depicts its interest in the Middle East. Iraq intervention in search of so called Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) led to the creation of monstrous Islamic State (ISIS). Iraqi Sunnis, after American invasion of Iraq with a miscalculated attempt which it recognized later on, started joining ISIS after Saddam Hussan’s execution at the time ISIS had not raised its head though. Similarly, Suppressed Sunnis under Assad regime have started to come under ISIS’s flag too. That said ISIS with patronage of regional allies like Saudi Arabia has further strengthened with the infiltration of Sunni fighters.
From the view of Arab spring that dragged Middle East into a bloody sectarian and civil war with the support of regional and international powers, Middle East crises seem to be a complicated web of sectarian unrest as well as a center to the conflict of vested interests. US foreign policy shift towards Syria has also taken place under the pretext of using chemical weapons against civilians. And, indeed, footprints of Assad regime’s sponsoring Hezbollah are also obvious.
American policy under Obama administration had been directed to topple Assad regime by sponsoring Shitte rebel groups while Russia, on the other hand, backed socialist Assad regime and continues with it until now. Putin is fiercely combating ISIS in Syria. However, ISIS’s recent terrorist acts in Europe have created an alarming situation for US. Both, US and Russia are currently hostiles over Syrian crises. Furthermore, ISIS has now grown an inevitable threat for US. Observers are concerned what tools newly elected president Donald J Trump brings into presidential office to deal with blood-thirsty ISIS.
Trump says: “America’s first policy will be overriding theme of my administration”
Donald trump is following America’s first policy more vigorously in Syria. He’s committed to hit ISIS forcefully by entering in to an alliance with Vladimir Putin.
‘Wouldn’t it be nice if we got together with Russia and knocked the hell out of ISIL?” Trump stated last summer.
On the one had trump desires to hit ISIS hardly Irrespective of bringing stability in Iraq and Syria , ISIS, surprisingly, is in support of Trump on the other. One of ISIS spokesmen clearly stated, ‘I ask Allah to deliver America to Trump.’
ISIS’s favour for Trump has an interesting fact behind. The former head of the National Counterterrorism Center Matt Olsen laid out three reasons for ISIS’s support for Trump. Firstly, Olsen states that Trump’s anti-Muslim proposals are likely to inspire and radicalize more violent jihadists in the U.S. and Europe. Secondly, Trump’s statements also serve to isolate and alienate the same Muslim Americans who must be our partners in this fight against ISIS. Thirdly, Trump’s comments undermine our counterterrorism efforts around the world. By deriding Muslims, he feeds ISIS’s narrative that the U.S. is at war with Islam.
Trumps hard-immigration policy will go in ISIS’s favour labeling trump as perfect enemy of Muslims and Islam and such sentiment drags much sympathy for ISIS in return. The Republican congressman Peter King’s proposal to launch a federal Muslim Surveillance Programme in order to crack down civil liberties of law abiding American Muslims is indeed a dangerous step. Unfortunately, such policies towards Muslims may further fan the flames of hatred against Muslims living in US and Europe.
Apart from election rhetoric, Trump ought to act more pragmatically and rationally. Trumps immature behavior is not going to last long. The presidential seat has brought much change in his words and actions. Trump’s strategy depends upon formation of his team. He’s bound to communicate with other departments and advisers to have their say about ISIS. During his Interim period he must update his information about Middle East issue in general and ISIS in particular. He’s bound to work with all the components of politics and will not be able to go all by himself. The pledges he made during his speeches will be seen in a new light and expectations once he sits in office formally.
Writer is a Student of Political Science at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article are those of the author and Balochistan Voices not necessarily agrees with them.
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