In a 403-16 vote with overwhelming support in both parties, the House of Representatives Tuesday voted in the Protect Against Conflict by Turkey Act, a bill calling for the punishment of NATO member nation Turkey for invading northeast Syria.



The bill is a culmination of weeks of anger over Turkey’s invasion of northeastern Syrian territory, and the expulsion of Kurdish forces, and would impose sanctions on Turkey until they withdraw from Syrian Kurdish territory. Interestingly enough, it does not appear that Turkey’s other invasion of Syria, in the northwest, is intended to be impacted.



Each party’s near-unanimity on the bill comes with a different spin, with Democrats presenting this as a continuation of the rebuke of Trump’s redeployment of troops away from the Turkish border, and Republicans saying it means supporting Trump in moving against Turkey if he wants, while allowing him to offer Turkey a waiver if he wants to argue Turkey’s invasion is in US interests.



Whether this bill ultimately means anything remains to be seen, as while some in the Senate are introducing companion resolutions, there is as yet no sign that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) intends to bring any of them up for a vote.





Author: Jason Ditz Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com. View all posts by Jason Ditz