Publication

This paper focuses on the colliding interests and military strategies that the US and Turkey have in Syria, despite their shared objective of defeating the so-called Islamic State (IS). To help the US work its way out of this bind, the text’s author outlines 1) how Turkish military operations might play out in Syria and thereby complicate US interests in the region, and 2) what options the US has to strengthen its relations with Turkey while continuing its efforts to push IS out of Syria. One choice would be to encourage the resumption of Turkish-Kurdish peace talks while expanding air-strikes against their mutual foe.