When the relations are tense ...

My reaction to a message from a friend, a representative of foreign media operating in Turkey, was naturally one of laughter: A doctoral student at Istanbul's Sabahattin Zaim University missed a few classes, and before his dissertation advisor could inquire about the reason, it became known that the student had been appointed as Syria’s Foreign Minister.

Yılmaz Akıncı, a program author for Al-Jazeera's Istanbul office and international TV commentator, answered Turan Information Agency's questions regarding the post-Assad regime developments.

The reason behind the 47th President of the United States declaring, “Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the sole winner in Syria and a strong leader. Erdoğan is a smart man,” lies not only in the present-day developments in Syria but also in events that unfolded six years ago. Indeed, it was Donald Trump who, in June and July of 2018, sent a series of tweets that destabilized Turkey’s economy in response to Turkey’s refusal to release an American citizen. By September of that same year, however, Trump supported Turkey’s role in backing jihadist forces that settled in Idlib and established an administrative structure there.

As the conflict in Syria enters a new chapter, Turkey has emerged as the dominant player on the ground, wielding military and intelligence operations to shape outcomes in its favor. However, Ankara now faces a pivotal moment: Can it sustain its strong role in Syria amid growing economic strain, geopolitical complexities, and the uncertain future of the Syrian state?