General
Thomas Friedman on Syria, the U.S. and Trump
The columnist on why Trump’s biggest challenge will be weak states, not strong states.
The New York Times Opinion columnist Thomas Friedman and the Opinion editor Daniel Wakin discuss how and why the United States should use its influence in Syria following the ousting of its longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Thomas Friedman: Trump’s Biggest Challenge Will be Weak, Not Strong States
The columnist reflects on Syria, the U.S. and Donald Trump.
Below is an edited transcript of an episode of “The Opinions.” We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
Daniel Wakin: Tom, I wanted to talk to you about the situation in Syria and what it means for the Middle East as a whole. It’s been almost two weeks since Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, was ousted.
After about 13 years of civil war, this has been, as you’ve written, a game changer for the Middle East.
So I thought we could take the opportunity to talk through the ramifications and how the Trump administration should respond. But first, I have a question. You’ve been covering and writing about the Middle East for a long time. For basically your entire career you’ve seen different versions of the Assad regime in Syria.
