Expressing disbelief that the Geneva II talks could produce any definitive solution to the Syrian war, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to blame the permanent members of the UN Security Council for the ongoing bloodshed in Syria. “Although the UN is the largest organization aimed at keeping peace in our world, it has not yet taken a step [in Syria] toward peace. Of course, UN Security Council permanent members are primarily responsible for this outcome,” Erdogan said in Berlin Feb. 4. 

“Unless the UN Security Council is reformed, the faith of such countries will depend ... on those permanent members. We will, however, continue doing our part without any break,” Erdogan said, adding, “There are nearly 700,000 Syrians in my country right now. About 220,000 live in tent and container camps. Others stay in houses in different cities. We have spent almost $2.5 billion on Syrians. The UN has only helped [with] $130 million. Whether the UN extends its helping hand or not, we will continue keeping our borders open for our Syrian neighbors.”

While Erdogan's frustration with the neverending death toll in Syria may be justified, the responsibility of this complex war zone should also be shared by countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and even Turkey, which has helped the flow of foreign fighters into the country, providing them with arms and training. The Erdogan government initially miscalculated the dynamics that make Syria a crucial asset for the conflicting interests of world powers like the United States and Russia, as well as Iran. Ankara got carried away, believing the Bashar al-Assad regime would follow in the footsteps of deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi or Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Upon that strategic miscalculation, Turkey failed to make two key observations: that the terrain along the Syria-Turkey border is challenging and difficult to fully control, and that once a government adopts a loose border-control policy, radical jihadist groups will abuse such weakness without reservation. In fact, Turkish officials have told Al-Monitor that those radical Islamist groups possess advantages, as they are better fighters than the regime’s foot soldiers.