In addition to questioning the counterterrorism value of the administration’s decision, interventionists such as Sens. Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio have portrayed the administration’s decision as a gift to Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, the Shiite organization based in Lebanon, because they fear that those actors will fill the strategic vacuum we leave. But an American withdrawal from Syria makes it unlikely that those various factions will work in harmony together. There already are reports that Russia is trying to edge Iran out of Syria, because of competition for economic projects. Moreover, Iran and Russia have different views on the social future of the country, with Iran promoting greater religiosity and demographic changes that favor Shiite Muslims, and Russia wanting to restore the prewar fabric of Syria.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 21, 2018 11:03 UTC