Now Trump is slow-playing the Syrian withdrawal.  Not sure if he is listening to the Neocons or just trying to pacify them.

If you listen to what Trump says you will end up confused.  If you pay attention to what he actually does, things are much clearer.

Meanwhile, the NY Times opinion page says it's time to leave Afghanistan:

No other country in the world symbolizes the decline of the American empire as much as Afghanistan. There is virtually no possibility of a military victory over the Taliban and little chance of leaving behind a self-sustaining democracy — facts that Washington’s policy community has mostly been unable to accept.

While many American troops stay behind steel-reinforced concrete walls to protect themselves from the very population they are supposed to help, it is striking how little discussion Afghanistan has generated in government and media circles in Washington. When it comes to Afghanistan, Washington has been a city hiding behind its own walls of shame and frustration.

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