Welcome to the Empire Files podcast.

This is your host, Abby Martin.

This is the audio of our show.

You can watch the episodes on our YouTube channel or at the Empirefiles.

As we continue our series, Trump expanding the Empire,

Trump has jolted the entire establishment by announcing the removal of U.S. troops in Syria.

We've beaten them and we've beaten them badly, we've taken back the land,

and now it's time for our troops to come back home.

They're all coming back, and they're coming back now.

We won, and that's the way we want it, and that's the way they want it.

The U.S. military has 800 bases around the world, with soldiers in 70% of the world's nations.

Obviously, reigning back the U.S. Empire anywhere and removing troops anywhere is a good thing.

So it's really been quite atrocious to see the Democratic Party establishment working with most of the GOP and Pentagon to attack this decision from the right, decrying any troop withdrawal is dangerous for so-called national interests.

Donald's right, I agree with him, Putin.

Imagine that is the comment of Vladimir Putin on the actions taken by the President of the United

States in relationship to Syria, an action that was taken without the benefit of the thinking

of our national security establishment, a decision that is dangerous, and a decision that is a

Christmas present to Vladimir Putin.

It's amplified the claim by liberal pundits, journalists, and Democratic Party leaders like

Hillary Clinton, that Trump is some kind of isolationist who wants to reign back America's

expansive military machine.

So what is going on here? Is Trump really curtailing the U.S. Empire and pushing back against the military industrial complex that has dominated U.S. foreign policy since World War II?

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