‘Shut Out’: Turkey Finds Itself ‘In a Very Difficult Position’ With the Russian Moves in Syria

The Russian incursion into Syria is hampering one of the region's most important players.

Turkey, which has long sought Syrian president Bashar Assad's transition out of power, has been supporting some of the most powerful rebel groups in northern Syria since the civil war erupted in 2011.

A Russian bombing campaign against rebels including Turkey-backed rebel groups, however, now threatens to undermine Ankara's entire Syria policy, which has been predicated on bolstering anti-Assad rebels and establishing a “safe zone” for displaced Syrians.

It also precludes any possibility of Turkish intervention in the north. 

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“Turkey is shut out,” Dr. Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in an interview. “The Turks are struggling to understand the new rules of the game, much like the US and others backing the Syrian opposition in its various forms.”

“The question now is whether Turkey would want to openly challenge Russia,” Schanzer added.

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