Publication

This brief takes the measure of Turkey’s policies towards Syria and the impact they’ve had on the ongoing civil war, Ankara’s domestic politics, and US foreign policy. The text’s authors 1) specifically examine the evolution of Ankara’s policy towards Syria from 2002 to 2011; 2) explore how the al-Nusra Front’s affiliation with al Qaeda, the US’ support for the largely Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), and Russia’s backing of the Syrian regime have complicated Turkey’s Syria strategy; 3) assess the impact the Syrian conflict has had on Turkey’s peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK); and 4) looks at potential areas of collaboration between Turkey and the US to defeat the so-called Islamic State.