| This is an OZY Special Briefing, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead. WHAT TO KNOW What happened? President Donald Trump has suddenly shifted U.S. policy in Syria, beginning the pullout of American troops this morning and announcing the U.S. wouldn’t intervene in a Turkish operation in the region that’s being anticipated with terror by Kurdish forces, longtime U.S. allies. Not only did the change appear to take all parties by surprise, but it’s also thought to be against the advice of the Pentagon and other Trump advisers. Why does it matter? Such treatment of the Kurds, who have been a driving force in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), is a message to other U.S. allies and would-be partners: Don’t count on us. Turkey sees the Kurds as terrorists, and without the U.S. presence in the region, Kurdish forces may have to ally with Syria to protect themselves. Analysts warn that it could lead to a resurgence of ISIS in the area without Kurdish aid against the terrorist threat. Trump explained his reasoning via Twitter, declaring: “WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN.” | 