“At this point, [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan seems to be strongly committed to his deepening partnership with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and is unlikely to be swayed by Washington’s positive or negative incentives.”
Turkey grows increasingly impatient regarding the situation in northern Syria. It has promised the establishment of a buffer zone between Turkey and the Kurds. How much longer will it wait? Can it execute a military offensive if the U.S. won’t permit?
Arab hatred of Turkey is so extreme that the last thing the Arab states wish to see is the return of the Ottoman Empire whose police tortured and killed them without mercy. This can and should lead to strange alliances.
Israel would, of course, much prefer that the American forces remain in Syria, but their pullout is far from a tragedy and even provides a window of opportunity.
Turkey views the mostly Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria as a threat, similar to how Israel views Hezbollah, US envoy for Syria engagement James Jeffrey said last week.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has traded barbs with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu over their humanitarian records. How will the two countries’ roles in Syria play out as the U.S. packs up and leaves the war torn country?
In October, President Donald Trump did “declare victory” over ISIS. “I want to get out,” the president said. “I want to bring our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation.”
The apparent decision by US President Donald Trump to order the complete withdrawal of US forces from Syria was preceded by a looming crisis between the US and Turkey.