the kurds are a crucial ally and should become more important in the months ahead but they're an ethnic minority and cannot govern arab lands this american troops were to liberate. this problem, the lack of a credible local makes ground operations in syria harder than in iraq or afghanistan or vietnam the each case the u.s. did not want a partner. nearly as strong as the moment suggest. many countries are fighting against sunni, saudi arabia from the united states to putin's russia. from neighboring russia to far away france. the territory is shrinking. the message is unpopular to most in its land.