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Turkey is determined to expand its influence in the new Syria
That could cause tensions with the Arab world – and Israel.
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The city centre of Damascus, Syria, on Jan 19. No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The Economist
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Asaad al-Shaibani’s professors were puzzled when the postgraduate student, a Syrian refugee, told them in November that he would have to miss a few classes. A few weeks later, Mr al-Shaibani resurfaced in Damascus in the Cabinet of Syria’s new interim government. On Jan 15, he made an official visit to Turkey, where he had lived for over a decade, as Syria’s new foreign minister.
No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than three million Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return. Nor does any other outside power have as far-reaching an agenda for Syria. Turkey wants to smother Kurdish autonomy in Syria’s north, help build a new Syrian army and regain influence in a country it once controlled for 400 years.
