Trump shouldn’t repeat Obama’s mistake in Iraq and Syria

Members of the U.S.-backed Syrian forces that captured Raqqa take a selfie Oct. 20 at the stadium where Islamic State fighters made their last stand in the city. (Asmaa Waguih/AP)

By Editorial Board October 21 at 7:27 PM

THE FINAL capture of the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa thisweek by U.S.-backed Syrian forces brings the would-be caliphate to the brink of extinction: It has lost 87 percent of the territory it once controlled in Iraq and Syria and probably will soon be driven from the rest. But the terrorists’ defeat raises complex challenges for the United States in Iraq and Syria, where Iran and Russia are entrenching their forces and consolidating influence at the expense of U.S. allies. If there is a countering American strategy, it isn’t evident.

While gratuitously undermining the Iran nuclear agreement, President Trump promised that the United States would resist Iranian aggression in the region. Yet the administration remained passive as Iranian-led militia forces helped the Iraqi army push U.S.-allied Iraqi Kurds out of the disputed city of Kirkuk and nearby oil fields; Mr. Trump said the United States was neutral in that fight. On Syria, Washington appears content to step aside as Russia and Iran work to restore the authority of the blood-soaked regime of Bashar al-Assad — and consolidate bases for themselves.