When trends change

While Ankara awaits the moves of Syria's new leader Ahmad ash-Sha'aran, it also exerts pressure on the PKK's Syrian branch, PYD/YPG, through various means every hour of every day: Damascus urges the Kurdish cantons forming in the northeast to 'bury their weapons,' while Ankara communicates this demand more decisively to terrorists within its borders and in Northern Iraq. Since December 8, when an organization Turkey has supported in northwest Syria took control following the Assad family's escape, Turkey has been swiftly capitalizing on the satisfaction this brings. The speed and accuracy of the steps taken so far confirm this; it is clear that Ankara has been well-prepared for these days for years."

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.