Perfidious America

Early in 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, a deal largely negotiated by and signed off on by his own country. Iran had been keeping its side of the bargain and the other five partners were happy with the results. Nonetheless, Trump walked, leaving the impression that a deal with the United States is only good until the next presidential election.

Now the president has betrayed his country's Kurdish allies in Syria. This week he pulled American troops out of northern Syria leaving the Kurds to the mercy of Turkey.

The Kurds are largely responsible for defeating ISIS in Syria, suffering major casualties in the bargain. But it is the Americans who bear the responsibility for unleashing ISIS in the first place. It was little more than a fanatical gleam in the eye of Islamic extremist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi until the Americans invaded Iraq and disbanded the Iraqi army, inadvertently providing an officer corp for Baghdadi's fighters—ISIS. The extremist army then went on to occupy large parts of Iraq and Syria. In Syria they encountered the Kurds who, in defeating them, did the Americans' dirty work for them. Now Trump has pulled out American backup, in effect delivering the Kurds up to their enemy Turkey, and running the chance of unleashing ISIS again in the bargain. Friend or foe, no matter, Trump's America will betray you.

The French long referred to England as "perfidious Albion" perceiving England as a nation whose word couldn't be trusted. Now that the U.S. has assumed leadership of the Anglo empire, its current president seems determined to take on the mantle of perfidy.