The Atlantic

America’s Indefinite Endgame in Syria

The Trump administration wants to stay in the country to counter Iran. What if Iran never leaves?
Source: Raheb Homavandi / Reuters

President Donald Trump speaks frequently about bringing U.S. troops home and avoiding costly wars in the Middle East. But last month, the administration changed its position in one key area: the Syrian civil war. America will remain in Syria, National-Security Adviser John Bolton said, “as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders.” He described the new policy as a strategic shift from countering ISIS to containing Iran.

Today, NBC News that the new strategy will include ramped up diplomatic and political efforts, but stay within the limits imposed by the current congressional authorization for the use of force in Syria. Part of the Trump administration’s strategy will be to from areas where Iranian

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