The longer the Syrian crisis continues, the harder it becomes for Turkey to turn a blind eye to the militant activities of the Syrian opposition on its soil. For a country that claims to be the rising regional power, the Turkish government is playing a poor game of geopolitical chess.
For example, there are serious and growing allegations that Syrian rebels are using refugee camps in Turkey that house 25,000 Syrian refugees as a haven for cross-border attacks. Members of the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) have told the media — both local and foreign — that they are crossing the border into Syria to fight Syrian forces, then return to safety in Turkey.