Omer Ozkizilcik

Is this the end of the Turkey-Russia relationship in Syria?

The killing of Turkish soldiers, even if perpetrated by the Assad regime, is a watershed moment for Turkey-Russia relations.

Soleimani’s death proves the US has friends in Syria, but it’s not the YPG

The most outspoken celebratory messages for the killing of the controversial Iranian general came from the Turkey-backed Syrian National Amy, while the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces remain silent.

Russia plants the seeds of humanitarian crisis by aiding Assad in Idlib

Regime fighters are encroaching on a demilitarised zone agreed to by both Moscow and Ankara. By pressing ahead, civilians are put at risk and new refugee crisis will be in the making.

The deal between the Syrian regime and the YPG is coming apart at the seams

The Syrian regime and Russia were under the impression that the YPG is on the ropes, but that turned out to be a strategic miscalculation as the YPG is still unwilling to make major concessions. This means the YPG-Syrian regime deal is falling apart.

Turkey aims to hand northeastern Syria back to its people

Turkey's operation has been widely condemned in the West, and mostly by those who don't understand Syria, the region, or its people.

White House move means a return to normalcy in Syria

Trump's announcement in Syria could ease tensions between the US and Turkey and facilitate dialogue between the two long-standing NATO allies.

Controlling the discourse around the US-Turkey safe-zone deal in Syria

Specific details of the Turkey-US agreement over safe-zones in Syria have not been officially announced, but there is hardly an entity which hasn't presented its own version about what happened behind closed doors.

US policy in Syria: A house of cards

The US may have to go back to the drawing board for its Syria policy if it forces Turkey into another operation in Syria.

The West is underestimating Turkey’s united front over national defence

The EU and US are misinterpreting Turkey’s actions as a whim of President Erdogan, but buying the S-400 missile defence system and drilling for oil in the eastern Mediterranean are supported across the political spectrum.

US envoy James Jeffrey visits Ankara amidst CENTCOM drama

The clock is ticking fast and Washington can no longer afford to ignore Turkey's security obstacles and continue its support of the PKK terror group's Syrian affiliates.

US sanctions over S-400 might trigger Turkish military operation in Syria

If the US decides to rapture relations between the two allies, Turkey could follow its own path on regional politics.

The spiral of violence in Idlib threatens to spill beyond Syrian borders

As the Assad regime, supported by Russia, continues to bombard locations within the so-called demilitarisation zone, Turkish retaliation has proved the strategy could be costly.