Donald Trump has issued an official statement regarding Turkey’s military action in Syria:

Statement from President Donald J. Trump Regarding Turkey’s Actions in Northeast Syria pic.twitter.com/ZCQC7nzmME — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2019

There’s that threat to “destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey” again.

Why wasn’t this threat made clear and made public weeks before the U.S. withdrawal instead of days after https://t.co/myZJG3grjI — Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) October 14, 2019

Fair question.

Trump green lit Turkey's incursion into Syria and is now sanctioning them over it, thus alienating literally everyone. https://t.co/immjvV7M5t — Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 14, 2019

Just more of that eleventy-dimensional chess we’re always hearing about.

#BREAKING Trump halts trade negotiations with Turkey, reimposes steel tariffs pic.twitter.com/kD3PBEW6NG — AFP news agency (@AFP) October 14, 2019

Well, maybe steel tariffs will bring Turkey around.

Traditionally, if you were trying to punish a foreign country's leadership, you'd sanction its leadership–restrict visas, freeze overseas assets, target financial institutions. Targeting Turkish steel is the trade war masquerading as a response to Turkey's Syrian adventure. — Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 14, 2019

Now, if we were trying to destabilize the regime and foment domestic dissent, you'd introduce broader sanctions like these in concert with targeting leadership a la Iran. But we're not… so… this is really just another theater in the trade war with little to do with Syria. — Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) October 14, 2019