Since the Obama administration announced a “pivot to Asia,” strategists at the Pentagon and Foggy Bottom have spoken of placing less emphasis on combating jihadists and more on containing a revanchist Russia and an aggressive and empowered China. Such an approach, writes Matthew Levitt, creates a false dichotomy that can lead to dangerous conclusions:
[F]or all the talk of a shift away from counterterrorism and toward great-power competition, the reality is that with a modicum of strategic planning the two are mutually reinforcing, not mutually exclusive, efforts. The few military deployments necessary to maintain an effective counterterrorism posture are the polar opposite of “endless wars” in terms of size, cost, and risk, and should be pursued in support of international coalitions and local allies. Beyond their counterterrorism value, such alliances will prove critical to pushing back on great- and near-power competitors.
Syria, in particular, provides [a] clear example of a small, inexpensive, low-risk military deployment that yielded high counterterrorism dividends and prevented the spread of a dangerous regional conflict. In contrast, [as one expert put it], “the Kremlin’s primary motivation in Syria was limiting American influence in world affairs and projecting its own great-power status.”
Withdrawing the small deployment of U.S. forces from Syria—which President Trump announced he planned to do several times—would create a power vacuum that Russia would fill. For example, shortly after U.S. troops abandoned a military base near Aleppo, Russian forces took over the U.S.-built facility.
An increasingly common manifestation of interstate strategic power competition is the use of militant and terrorist proxies. Consider the extensive role of Shiite militias in Syria acting as proxies of Iran and Russia, Shiite militias operating as Iranian proxies in Iraq, [and] Russian mercenaries fighting in Libya with Russian government logistical support. . . . Pushing back on Russian and Chinese adventurism around the world will include areas of operation where counterterrorism tools and partnerships can play critical roles in a broader interstate competition.
Read more on National Interest: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/harmonizing-counterterrorism-and-great-power-competition-184787