The Reyhanli attack coming just before Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-awaited Washington visit not only weakened the Turkish prime minister's hand in his meeting with US President Barack Obama but also delivered alarming messages for Turkey's near future.
Erdogan’s weakened hand results from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s inclination to launch daring operations to negate Turkey’s claim to be a regional power and his conviction of impunity. In a column for Bloomberg, Arab-American commentator Fouad Ajami wrote: “The bombs in Reyhanli, a quaint border town in the province of Hatay, were just the latest in a series of provocations by Syrian forces. Give Assad credit for his audacity. Like a gambler with steady nerves, he has bet that Erdogan won’t pull the trigger.’’
