The Trump administration is renewing an effort to replace US troops in Syria with an Arab force, but the proposal faces substantial obstacles and
could potentially exacerbate the conflict.
The Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said his government was talking to Washington
about raising such a force, confirming a
report in the Wall Street Journal that said the
new US national security adviser, John Bolton, had called the Egyptian intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, to ask Cairo to play a part in building one.
There are about 2,000 US troops in Syria fighting Islamic State, but Donald Trump has repeatedly
expressed a desire to withdraw them.
The idea of an Arab coalition force playing a role in Syria to combat extremist groups and contain Iranian influence has
surfaced several times since 2015, but faces severe problems. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are
bogged down in a brutal war in Yemen, and have little manpower and few military resources to spare.
They are also
locked in a dispute with Qatar, another potential contributor to a force, while Egypt is much closer to the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria than its would-be Gulf partners.
Middle East experts said it was feasible Arab states could fund an army run by private contractors and possibly help recruit soldiers from developing countries such as Sudan. Erik Prince, a Trump ally who founded the
military contractor Blackwater USA and now advises the UAE, is lobbying to play a role, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A similar offer he made last year to
replace US troops with private contractors in Afghanistan was turned down by the Pentagon.
But Prince may have more traction in the White House over Syria. Bolton has argued that the US has taken too much of the military burden in
Syria and Arab states should supply troops and material assistance in the fight against Isis.
Meanwhile, the Saudi monarchy and its regional allies are uneasy that events on the ground in Syria are being dictated by external powers, none of which are Arab.
Emile Hokayem, the senior fellow for Middle East security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said: “The idea of an Arab expeditionary force emerges every couple of years, and it’s always seen as a politically brilliant idea to create a sense of ownership in the region.
“In reality, the politics of putting a force like that together are almost impossible.
“The question is: have the Saudis consulted the other countries before speaking on their behalf? The Saudis thought Egypt and Pakistan would come to help Yemen and they didn’t.”
