Turkey’s Policies Defied By Latest Twists in Syria
Turkey seems to be on the wrong side of events in Egypt and Syria.
Developments in the Middle East continue to defy Ankara’s expectations for the region.
The Erdogan government is expressing dissatisfaction over efforts to bring around a negotiated compromise with the Assad regime. It's also dissatisfied to see the Egyptian military strengthens its grip on power, while increasing the pressure on the Muslim Brotherhood with support from regional Arab powers.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is suggesting that Washington could give up on plans to strike Syria — for which the Obama administration has little public support anyway — if the Assad regime agrees to a Russian proposal to hand over its chemical weapons.
Kerry also underlined during last week’s congressional hearing on Syria that their aim in any military strike would not be to oust Assad. He said they only wanted to punish him and degrade his chemical weapons capabilities, and made it clear that they wanted to shore up the secular elements in Syria against a possible takeover by Islamists.
