February 24, 2015 | Quote

Turkey’s “Cold War” With ISIS May Be Warming


For much of Syria’s civil war, Turkey turned a blind eye to extremists passing through its borders, including foreign jihadis, hoping these fighters would help to speed the downfall of the Assad regime. That allowed the extremists to plant roots on either side of the border, establishing sleeper cells and smuggling routes in Turkey along the way.

The threat of an ISIS attack has tempered Turkey’s response to the extremist group — and in turn, ISIS may be keen to avoid provoking the powerful NATO state. But all it takes is one flare-up for the détente to break down, said Jonathan Schanzer, an analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC. “This is a very precarious balancing act,” he said. “And it’s not sustainable.”

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Issues:

Turkey