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US plans to vacate Syrian theater, paving way for Turkish-American rapprochement

US plans to vacate Syrian theater, paving way for Turkish-American rapprochement According to reports, U.S. plans to vacate Syrian territory. (Collage prepared by Türkiye Today team)
By Egecan Alan Fay
Jan 31, 2025 10:04 AM

With the collapse of the Baath regime in Syria and its leader Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia in early December 2024, the status quo in the proxy war drastically changed overnight.

The new reality on the ground saw the rise of the main oppositional force Hayat Tahrir al-Sham becoming the caretaker government in Damascus. With ongoing rebranding came a flurry of diplomatic visits from the Middle East and Europe—even including Russia sending an entourage of diplomats on Jan. 28.

Some 2,000 American troops have remained in Syria since 2015, a policy that Trump was unable to reverse in his first term due to a multitude of pushback in 2019.

The American relationship in Syria depends heavily on cooperation with the YPG terrorist group, an organization directly linked with the PKK. This ordeal led to Ankara and Washington ties reaching their lowest point in decades.

Both Ankara and Damascus are now keen on maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria, as witnessed in the number of ultimatums issued to the remaining sliver of territory in northeastern Syria under YPG control.

A political fold from the YPG is anticipated especially given the circumstances that the incoming “Trump 2.0” administration would rather focus on domestic matters alongside strengthening itself within its region.

Transition of US foreign policy under Trump: Opportunity for stronger Turkish-American ties

Omer Ozkizilcik, an expert on Türkiye and non-residential fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Türkiye Today, “The Trump administration is keen to take revenge on the failure of the Trump administration in the first period. What I understand is that especially the MAGA crowd around Trump’s close circle see the Syria withdrawal in 2019 as a failure of Trump to assert himself.”

Indeed the former Biden administration, in a string of pardons, also pardoned the previous U.S. Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley in January 2025. Milley was accused of “treason” by President Trump for keeping backchannels with Beijing and pushing back against Trump’s policies during his first term.

Ozkizilcik continued, “I do think that the United States of America will withdraw from Syria. Even if Trump had not been president and Kamala Harris had been elected, there would still be no real reason for the United States to remain in Syria.”

“It is in their best interest to withdraw from Syria and to reach a deal with Anakra and Damascus to safeguard some American interests, such as managing Daesh prisoners and rehabilitating their families.”

US plans to vacate Syrian theater, paving way for Turkish-American rapprochement
Ahmad al-Shara has many challanges in front of him during the formation of new Syria. Terror group YPG remains the biggest obstacle in Syria’s unity as US plans to vacate Syria per media reports. (Collage prepared by Türkiye Today team)

Trump to push ‘Türkiye and Israel closer’

Gokhan Cinkara, an expert on the region and the director of the Global and Regional Studies Center at Necmettin Erbakan University, also underlined the renewed opportunity to rejuvenate Turkish-American bilateral ties, “Trump’s election to the presidency opens up a series of windows of opportunity for Türkiye. First of all, the new administration wants to create a foreign policy with a new perspective.

Second, the personal relations between Trump and Erdogan can play a facilitating role in resolving the troublesome parts of relations between the two countries. Therefore, there is much reason to be hopeful for the relations between the two countries.”

Trump has continually asserted unwavering commitment to Israel, which is facing a global backlash over its unprecedented response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Both experts speaking to Türkiye Today stated that Washington will likely push for closer ties between Türkiye and Israel.

“The other issue is that the relations between Türkiye and Israel reached the breaking point after Oct. 7. The relations between the two countries are very important for Trump because he does not want new lines of conflict to emerge in the region. For this reason, we can say that Trump’s efforts to bring Türkiye and Israel closer will gain momentum,” Cinkara noted.

Ozkizilcik highlighted that a new security arrangement in the Middle East is in the works as “the United States of America wants to concentrate more on China and the Pacific. To make this happen, it is in its best interest to have a strong relationship with its NATO ally (Türkiye), Israel and the Arab States.”

“In the Middle East, there are only two states that are capable of projecting power beyond their borders—one is Israel and the other is Türkiye. Resolving the Turkish-American dispute in Syria will open the way for much greater cooperation and coordination for foreign and Middle East policy.”

Last Updated:  Jan 31, 2025 1:33 PM