Let’s assume the letter had nothing to do with it.
There is a cease-fire. No American lives lost. Are you for that or against it?
Did his strategy work out or didn’t it?
Erdoğan suddenly understood the box he was in when Trump authorized Treasury secretary Mnuchin to prepare sanctions against Turkey. By themselves, sanctions haven’t succeeded much in that part of the world. But in concert with the departure of the U.S., they became a scary signal that Turkey was all by her lonesome. Having steadfastly refused to negotiate, Erdoğan now nervously rang up Trump and asked for an emergency conference. Trump sent Vice President Pence and national security adviser O’Brien to mediate negotiations with the Kurds.
These are the long sought negotiations, brought about by U.S. troops leaving .
