Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke at Stanford University Wednesday afternoon about the future of Syria and the US role in the war. In his talk entitled, “The Way Forward in Syria,” Tillerson once again reiterated the US desire to eventually see President Bashar al Assad removed from power while also pledging US commitment to staying in Syria in order to counter Iran’s influence in the region.

Ultimately, according to Tillerson, “the Unites States will remain in Syria” until certain conditions are met which include the complete destruction of ISIS, Assad’s removal from power, and the return of refugees to a stabilized country.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke alongside former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at Stanford University on Wednesday. Image source: KGO-TV

The talk – which was seen as the clearest articulation of Trump’s future strategy in Syria thus far – comes after the Pentagon announced plans on Sunday for the US coalition in Syria to establish a 30,000-strong new border security force with the Kurdish dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which many analysts see ultimately as a US commitment to the partitioning of Syria along ethnic and sectarian lines. Currently there are over 2,000 US troops in Syria according to recent Pentagon statements.

Notably, Tillerson also articulated President Trump’s plan for US personnel to stay in Syria to complete “stabilization initiatives in liberated areas” while simultaneously on the international front waging economic war against the Syrian government.  “We will discourage economic relationships between the Assad regime and any other country,” Tillerson said. “Once Assad is gone from power, the United States will gladly encourage the normalization of economic relationships between Syria and other nations.” 

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