Do you think Turkey today is an ally of the United States?

Oh, I have to think about this, actually. I don't have a quick and clever answer for you.

We have no friends but the mountains.

That's an old Kurdish proverb that pretty much sums up their current troubles.

With U.S. special forces largely removed from northeastern Syria and the future of Kurdish homes being carved up in Ankara, Damascus, and Moscow, this stateless mid-eastern people again are fighting themselves in a familiar station,

the victims of changing priorities.

When President Trump decided to officially withdraw American troops from the region, many people,

including some in his own administration, were shocked.

But the Kurds themselves, I guess today says not so much.

Hello and welcome to the G-Zero World podcast. I'm Ian Bremmer, and this is the place to hear extended interviews with the world

leaders, newsmakers, and experts I feature on my public television show every week. After nearly

four years of heavy fighting, Kurdish fighters, supported by U.S. forces, had helped

to defeat much of ISIS. It wasn't something that lawmakers wanted to walk away from in the United

States. Though America's adversary Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had effectively won back much of

his country, success against ISIS was among the rare triumphs for the U.S. Kurdish

alliance.

The Kurds had lost more than 11,000 soldiers in that fighting.

But the partnership was clear.

America got greater influence in the region and an ally willing to do the heavy lifting

against ISIS.

The Kurds got the implicit backing of the U.S. military, keeping their rivals at bay.

But what about afterwards? With virtually all of ISIS territory regained and thousands of

...