Erdogan more isolated than ever on Syria

The Turkish president is on the defensive after Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian warplane; the Syrian war enters a more dangerous phase.

Week in Review
Week in Review
Nov 29, 2015
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and his French counterpart Francois Hollande speak after a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, November 26, 2015. France and Russia agreed on Thursday to exchange intelligence on Islamic State and other militant groups in Syria to help improve the effectiveness of their aerial bombing campaigns in the country, French President Francois Hollande said. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RTX1W0QV
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, speak after a news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Nov. 26, 2015. France and Russia agreed to exchange intelligence on the Islamic State and other militant groups in Syria to help improve the effectiveness of their aerial bombing campaigns in the country, Hollande said. — REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko

Erdogan’s "feel good moment" backfires

The most notable consequence so far of Turkey’s shooting down a Russian fighter jet Nov. 24 has been a possible opening for a deepening of Russia’s cooperation with the US-led coalition against the Islamic State and a free fall in Turkish-Russian relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande agreed Nov. 26 to share information about targets in Syria and to strike “only terrorists.” Putin added that Russia is “ready to cooperate” with the US-led anti-IS coalition.

Credit for the inspired diplomacy of turning crisis into opportunity goes to Hollande and US President Barack Obama, who apparently have decided that the overall objective of ending the war in Syria should not be held hostage to Turkey’s aggressive response to the Russian warplane’s alleged violation of Turkish airspace.

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