Brett McGurkVerified account

@brett_mcgurk

Payne Distinguished Lecturer . Foreign Affairs Analyst /. Former Presidential Envoy. Served under Bush, Obama, Trump. Dad. .

Palo Alto, CA
Joined April 2013

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  1. Pinned Tweet

    Today was my last day at the State Department. I wish my former civilian and military colleagues well as they work under extremely difficult circumstances to protect the interests of our great country. It was a privilege to serve alongside them.

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  2. Retweeted
    32 minutes ago

    Here's the Turkey-Russia deal for northern Syria, interpretation 2, TLDR version: US, Britain, other allies send air force and special forces to Syria, spend four years helping locals clear it of Isis, hand it over to Putin and Assad, withdraw under a shower of rotten tomatoes.

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  3. Ironically, the Russians appear to have pushed for and gotten the elements of the “security mechanism” deal that U.S. officials were working on with Turkey before Trump’s October 6 phone call. Difference: key player now Moscow not Washington. Region will see and understand this.

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  4. Putin-Erdogan: Assad Regime takes entire border region outside area given away in US-TR “ceasefire” last week. Turkey patrols to 10km. No outposts. Putin stood up to Erdogan more than Trump. Bottom line: Fate of historic Kurd areas (Kobani) now entirely in hands of Assad/Russia.

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  5. “Mr. Trump’s pullout has handed the Islamic State its biggest win in more than four years and greatly improved its prospects.”

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  6. Pleased to participate in the launch of ’s awesome new book “Shatter the Nations” today at in DC. It’s a gripping face-of-battle account of the war against ISIS (a war in every sense). Mike courageously documented it from the front lines.

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  7. Retweeted
    Oct 17

    Trump vs. Trump: Kurds Edition

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  8. Trump this afternoon: “We never gave a commitment to the Kurds.” Pompeo one year ago: “Syrian Kurds have been great partners. We’re now driving to make sure they have a seat at the table.” Video👇

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  9. Oct 21

    Welcomed the opportunity to discuss Trump, Erdogan, ISIS, and a foreign policy that for two decades pursued ends misaligned with means. The ISIS campaign was designed to address that imbalance, now upended. With in .

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  10. Oct 20

    * This is not a “ceasefire” plan. It’s a demand to evacuate towns besieged by Turkish-backed extremists, the same tactic used by Asad. * What oil? We were in Syria to protect the American people from ISIS. Our military does not seize foreign oil. * Name of SECDEF is wrong.

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  11. Oct 20

    This Tweet speaks to dangerous and incoherent policy: * US troops are not “going home”. They’re going to Iraq to manage a resurgent ISIS that we enable by abruptly leaving Syria. * “New areas” aren’t “being resettled w/Kurds.” Kurds are being forced out of traditional areas.

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  12. Retweeted
    Oct 20

    President Trump says, constantly, he’s pulling US troops out of “endless wars” in the Middle East. But NOW the defense secretary announced US forces leaving Syria to go to western IRAQ, which for years has been a FAR MORE DANGEROUS warzone.

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  13. Oct 20

    “In the Middle East, if you’re not at the table, you’re on the table.” With Putin meeting Erdogan in two days as US forces abruptly evacuate positions, the United States is now helplessly on the table together with the SDF and the people of NE Syria.

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  14. Retweeted
    Oct 20

    WATCH: says President Trump threw all of American leverage in the Middle East "out the window" with his phone call. "I'm afraid that now the future of Syria will be determined by actors who are quite hostile to our interests."

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  15. Retweeted
    Oct 20

    WATCH: says President Trump threw all of American leverage in the Middle East "out the window" with his Oct. 6 phone call. "I'm afraid that now the future of Syria will be determined by actors who are quite hostile to our interests."

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  16. Retweeted

    Former Presidential ISIS envoy: For the President to say, let them go at it and we'll come in to fix it, that's total ignorance to the situation on the ground. via

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  17. Oct 18

    Warning: Erdogan today says his "safe zone" as agreed with Trump stretches 450x32 kms, from the Euphrates to Iraq. This includes all majority Kurdish and Christian areas of Syria. Senior U.S. officials say it is far narrower. Listen to Erdogan, not Trump.

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  18. Oct 18

    As Erdogan prepares to visit Putin, he had this to say today about Trump and his bizarre letter: “We will not forget this lack of respect.”

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  19. Oct 17

    This is an obscene and ignorant statement. 200k innocent people displaced. Hundreds dead. Credible reports of war crimes. ISIS prisoners escaping. US evacuating and bombing its own positions or handing them to Russia. Two kids in a lot?

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  20. Oct 17

    Look forward to joining on shortly to discuss the latest situation in Syria.

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  21. Retweeted
    Oct 17

    Mike Pence's request for a temporary cease-fire seemed to be “face-saving, for the U.S. side,” the Turkish official in the Foreign Ministry said. “It was as easy a negotiation as we’ve ever had,” the official said.

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