Terming US policy as opportunistic, Pennsylvania University Political Science Professor says that US military presence in Syria is geared towards countering Iranian influence and a repetition of its past failures in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Pennsylvania State University Professor for Middle Eastern Studies Jennifer Loewenstein rejects US Secretary of State’s assertion about the necessity of sending US troops to Syria to combat IS. She said that US is being opportunistic and does not want to combat IS.
Concerning US role in creating the extremist group, she said to IRNA that US has contributed to the creation of extremist groups, such as IS and Al-Qaeda. She said that it has supported any group in Syria that benefits its interests. She said, “Many US politicians have shown that they are short-sighted. In their haste to exploit these groups, they lack long-term vision. ... In my opinion, the US has a long history of supporting groups like al-Qaeda, then regretting it”, reported IRNA.
She went on to say that US presence in Syria is aimed at limiting Iranian influence. Saudi Arabia and Israel have joined it to achieve this goal. America wants to create a buffer zone with Iraq in eastern Syria to prevent Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon. She argued that these measures will not bear fruit. In fact, it would only hurt US relations with its ally Turkey as the US actions have provoked Turkey into sending its troops into Syria.
