By Daniel L. Davis
I know—“The Middle East is on fire” sounds like a headline from last month… or 25 years ago. But this time, things are more dangerous than they’ve been in years. And the United States? We’re still deeply entangled in a region that no longer holds vital strategic interest for us.
In this Deep Dive, I break down what happened in Damascus, where Israeli airstrikes leveled Syria’s Ministry of Defense and hit near the presidential palace, sending a clear message to the country’s new ruler, Ahmed Sharaa, who took over after Bashar al-Assad’s fall. As I say in the video:
“To tell another sovereign country that its own military cannot move south of its capital city? That’s not diplomacy—that’s domination.”
Israel claims it’s protecting the Druze minority after violent clashes in Sweida, but the deeper play looks like a territorial power grab, with Netanyahu openly drawing red lines inside Syrian territory and making no apologies.
Sharaa, meanwhile, is trying to hold together a fractured country, wracked by tribal rivalries, proxy militias, and foreign occupations. His past ties to extremist groups leave him with few allies—and even fewer options.
“He may have changed his clothes and trimmed his beard, but a lot of Syrians still see the same man who once led al-Nusra.”
What’s the U.S. doing? Supporting everyone and achieving nothing. We’re still hosting troops in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, absorbing risks with no benefit to our national security.
It’s time to face the truth: staying involved keeps us in the blast zone. As long as violence is the language of choice in the region—and we play along—the chaos will keep spreading.
Watch the full breakdown now.
Share this post