SS: Turkey seems open to hosting Assad and Putin for peace talks. For those out of the loop, this is a pretty seismic shift in relations between the countries. While undeclared, Turkey and Syria have essentially been in a proxy conflict, with Turkey arming and directly supporting rebel groups on the ground in Syria, as well as conducting airstrikes against government and government-affiliated groups. Turkey and Syria coming to the table could potentially lead to the end of this war, which has gone on for over a decade.
I’m hopeful but also skeptical. Turkey’s about face seems to be largely based on the fact that the refugee situation has become untenable domestically. Turkey cutting off support for the rebels would almost certainly end the war, as Turkish intervention was really the only thing that stopped Syria’s 2020 offensive from pressing on to Idlib.
But simultaneously, Assad likely won’t be happy *unless he retakes Idlib militarily, which would worsen the refugee situation. And on the other side, even if Assad agrees to reconcile, Jolani (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly Al-Nusra) and his troop are very unlikely to agree to it. A non-zero number of the rebels left in Idlib are rebels that specifically refused reconciliation and instead chose to relocate to Idlib to continue to fight.
Regardless of what happens, it is time for this war to end.
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SS: Turkey seems open to hosting Assad and Putin for peace talks. For those out of the loop, this is a pretty seismic shift in relations between the countries. While undeclared, Turkey and Syria have essentially been in a proxy conflict, with Turkey arming and directly supporting rebel groups on the ground in Syria, as well as conducting airstrikes against government and government-affiliated groups. Turkey and Syria coming to the table could potentially lead to the end of this war, which has gone on for over a decade.
I’m hopeful but also skeptical. Turkey’s about face seems to be largely based on the fact that the refugee situation has become untenable domestically. Turkey cutting off support for the rebels would almost certainly end the war, as Turkish intervention was really the only thing that stopped Syria’s 2020 offensive from pressing on to Idlib.
But simultaneously, Assad likely won’t be happy *unless he retakes Idlib militarily, which would worsen the refugee situation. And on the other side, even if Assad agrees to reconcile, Jolani (Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, formerly Al-Nusra) and his troop are very unlikely to agree to it. A non-zero number of the rebels left in Idlib are rebels that specifically refused reconciliation and instead chose to relocate to Idlib to continue to fight.
Regardless of what happens, it is time for this war to end.