Security Horizons

Security Horizons

An Analysis of US Strategy towards Syrian Kurds Based on Rational Choice Theory

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Shohreh pirani 1
hamed kazemi 2
shahram pirani 2
1 Corresponding author: assistant professor of political science, Shahed University
2 PhD candidate of political science, sociology, Razi University of Kermanshah
Abstract
During the internal crisis of Syria, a geopolitically and geo-strategically significant country in West Asia, the behavior and measures of the local, regional and international actors emerged differently. America, as a superpower seeking global interests, tried to serve its interests as well as those of its regional allies through an interventionist approach to the Syrian crisis. Initially, it sought to overthrow the Assad regime and hit its allies by supporting the Syrian Arab opposition. With the Syrian government's legal request of Iran and Russia to enter the country and disrupt the balance of power in Syria, the Americans failed to achieve their primary goals. The feebleness and defeat of the Arab opposition against the Syrian government and its allies pushed the Americans closer to the Kurds so that they could make use of Kurdish interests in Syria for supporting their own interests. The main question of this research entails the components of US strategy and goals in relation to the Kurds in the events of Syria. The hypothesis answering the key question proposes that US foreign policy toward the Syrian Kurds is rationally developed to disturb the balance of Iran-Russia-Syria alliance and the resistance axis and prevent Turkish excessive ambition. This is a descriptive-analytical research using library resources for data collection. The results indicated that America's proximity to the Kurds has been successful in establishing a Kurdish entity and employing it for encountering the mentioned threats since the alliance until 2019.
Keywords
Syria crisis
America
rational choice
Syrian Kurds
 
- Abdullah Shukri, Nawzad (2017).   EXPLAINING U.S. FOREIGN POLICY TOWARDS KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ (2003-2015), Department of Politics and International Relations.
- Al Jazeera (2017). “Kurds pledge to fight Turkey to retain Syria’s Manbij,18 February 2017, http://www.aljazeera.com.
- Aljazeera (2018). US-backed Syrian Kurds agree to 'roadmap' with Assad government, MİDDLE EAST https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/07/backed-syrian-kurds-agree-roadmap-assad-government-180728082610203.html
- America's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar (Photo by Reuters) (2018), American military bases in Middle East. Why does US have them? https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2018/01/30/550726/How-many-military-bases-US-has-in-Middle-East.
- Barnard, Anne and Richard Pérez-Peña (2018). “U.S.-Backed Coalition in Syria Strikes Pro-Assad Forces,” New York Times
- Balanche, Fabrice (2017). “A Truly Gordian Knot’ Awaits Trump,” The Cipher Brief, October 13, 2017, accessed May 27, 2018, https:// www.thecipherbrief.com
- Baker, Rauf (2017) The Syrian Kurds: Israel’s Forgotten Ally, BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 614, October 14, 2017
- Cordesman, Anthony H (2008). Syrian Weapons of Mass Destruction. An overview:, 1st Working Draft, Center for Strategic and International Studies, http://csis.org/files.                                                 
- Clawson, Patrick (2016). Syrian Kurds as a Us  ally,  Cooperation & Complications, The Washing Ton ins TiTuTe for near easT Policy
- Cooley, A. (2008). Base Politics: Democratic Change and the U.S. Military Overseas (p. 5). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press
- D’Alema , Francesco (2017). The Evolution of Turkey’s Syria Policy ,Istiuto Affari Internazionali. https://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/iaiwp1728.pdf
- Demir, Sertif (2013). "The impact of the Syria crisis on the Global and regional political Dynamics." Scientific Researcher, Institute for Political Studies of Defense and military History, Bucharest, Romania.
- Engdahl, F. William (2016). “Russia Trumps USA Energy War in Mideast,” New Eastern Outlook, 17 September 2016
- Gelvin, J. L. (2005). The Modern Middle East: A History New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Green and Shapiro (1981), Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory, Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
- Goldsmith, Leon (2012). “Alawites for Assad; Why the Syrian Sect Backs the Regime”, http://www.foreignaffairs.com
- Güner, S., & Koç, D. (2017). Shifting balances of power in the Syrian conflict. Turkish Policy Quarterly, 16(1), 123-130.
-  Hallinan, Conn (2018). An Emerging Russia-Turkey-Iran Alliance Could Reshape the Middle East. https://fpif.org/an-emerging-russia-turkey-iran-alliance-could-reshape-the-middle-eas.
- Henry R. Nau, (2009). “Perspectives on International Relations: Power, Institutions, and Ideas Second Edition”, George Washington University, 2009
- Jones, Toby Craig (2006). See Sheila Carapico and Chris Toensing.“The Strategic Logic of the Iraq Blunder,” Middle East Report(no. 239, Summer 2006.In:  . "America, Oil, and War in the Middle East
- Lederman, Josh and Vivian Salama, (2017). “Erdogan to Visit Trump Amid Rising Tensions Between the U.S. and Turkey,”Time, 15 May 2017, http://time.com/4778783/trump-erdogan-visit-turkey-us
- laub, Z. (2014). The Taliban in Afghanistan Council on Foreign Relations
- Monshipouri, Mahmood (2002). The Paradoxes of U.S. Policy in the Middle East, Middle East Policy Council, https://www.mepc.org/journal/paradoxes-us-policy-middle-east
- Mueller, Karl P., Becca Wasser, Jeffrey Martini, Stephen WattsU.S (2001). Strategic Interests in the Middle East and Implications for the Army, Expert insights on a timely policy issue, Rand.
- Ordonez, Franco (2018), Israel confounded, confused by Syria withdrawal, Mattis resignation, ttps://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/
- Oslen, Mancur (1971), The Logic of Collective Action, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
-  Parello-Plesner, Jonas (2018). Post-Conflict Stabilization in Syria and the Potential Impact of U.S. Military Withdrawal, Hudson Institute, Udenrigsudvalget 2018-19URU Alm.del - endeligt svar på spørgsmål 60 Offentligt
- Razi, H. (1988), “An Alternative Paradigm to State Rationality in Foreign policy”, Political Research Quarterly
- Guardian (2016), Russian ambassador to Turkey shot dead by police officer in Ankara gallery (20161),” The Guardian, 20 December 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/19/russian-ambassador-to-turkey-wounded-in-ankara-shooting-attac
- Şafak , Yeni (2018). US seeks to merge regions in Iraq, Syria to exploit oil, gas resources, MİDDLE EAST.https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/us-seeks-to-merge-regions-in-iraq-syria-to-exploit-oil-gas-resources-3462564
- Salameh, mamdoug (2018). The Battle For Syria’s Oil Region, International Oil Economist, https://oilprice.com/Geopolitics/Middle-East/The-Battle-For-Syrias-
- Saleh, Zahra (2018). The Advantages of Kurdish Autonomy in Syria https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/egypts-customary-reconciliation-sessions-hurt-its-christian-minority
- Sofer, Ken (2012). Next Steps in Syria. A look at US Priorities and Interests, Center for American Progress,  http://www.americanprogress.org
- Sly, Liz and Zakaria Zakaria (2018). “With ISIS striking back in Syria, a U.S. withdrawal would be a ‘disaster,’ Kurds warn,” Washington Post, Apr. 5, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com
- Shashkevich, Alex (2018) “U.S. Wants Peace, Stability in Syria, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Says in Policy Speech at Stanford,” Stanford News Service, January 18, 2018, accessed May 27, 2018, https://news. stanford.edu/.
- Susanne, Lohmann, (2008). "The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics2nd Edition”, Palgrave Mcmillan, 2008. http://www.dictionaryofeconomics.com
- Walt, S. (1999), ”Rational Choice and Security Studies”, International Security, Vol.23, No.4, spring, p.9.
- Webb, Whitney (2018). How the US Occupied the 30% of Syria Containing Most of its Oil Water and Gas Resource Wars. https://www.mintpressnews.com/how-the-us-occupied-the-30-of-syria-containing-most-of-its-oil-water-and-gas/240601
- Williams, Don )2018). “Trump advisor Bolton says Russia ‘stuck’ in Syria, Iran must leave”, Reuters, August 22, 2018.  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-russia-inter/trump-adviser-bolton-says-russia-stuck-in-syria-iran-must-leave-idUSKCN1L709R
- Zimmt, Raz (2018). ranian Responses to Trump’s Statement and Initial Assessment of the Statement’s Effect on Iranian Policy in Syria. https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/app/uploads/2018/12/E_317_18.pdf

  • Receive Date 26 February 2019
  • Revise Date 13 August 2019
  • Accept Date 16 February 2020
  • Publish Date 23 August 2019