Episode Details

We are joined by investigative reporter Matthew Petti to talk about the recent alleged oil deal in Northern Syria, different factions in the State Department, Washington's possible desire for militiafication in the North, and what the future might portend.

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On the Trump/Pompeo team: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/state-department-seeks-maximum-pressure-iran-syria-116666

On the history of rebels and Brett McGurk: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/made-america-how-us-government-paid-turkeys-war-syria-94401

On the pencil incident: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/exclusive-inside-state-departments-meltdown-kurds-90241

On the CIA analyst talking about an Arab SDF: nationalinterest.org/blog/middle-east-watch/inside-iran-hawks-hijacking-trumps-syria-withdrawal-plan-90041

On the Bolton book the multicolored map: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/exclusive-john-bolton-tells-how-iran-hawks-set-trump%E2%80%99s-syrian-kurdish-disaster-163062

On the oil and Assad: https://reason.com/2019/12/03/the-madcap-scheme-to-take-syrias-oil/

On Delta Crescent: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/did-mike-pompeo-mislead-congress-about-syria%E2%80%99s-oil-166158

On Russia and the oil: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/us-general-were-talking-russia-about-syrias-oil-166762

On the peace talks: nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/syria%E2%80%99s-kurds-we-were-cut-out-syrian-peace-negotiations-167396

plus other recommended reading

The cursed photo of Rayburn and some other details on the oil by Zack Kopplin: newrepublic.com/article/158841/pompeo-trump-steal-oil-kurds-syria-iraq

On the reason for being in Tanf: al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/06/us-tanf-base-syria-john-bolton-trump-troops.html

On the corruption at Tanf: thedefensepost.com/2020/04/16/syria-rebels-defect-maghawir-al-thawra/

On Mazloum’s leaked message to US leaders: cnn.com/2019/10/12/politics/us-syria-meeting-doc/index.html