Although Turkey appeared to have pushed its policy of working for the demise of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the back burner, Ankara warmly welcomed the US missile strikes that hit the Shayrat air base April 7.
This development revived Ankara’s desire to see Assad toppled and re-energized its push for a safe zone in Syria, with scant consideration about what this would mean for its ties with Russia. Ankara also does not appear to be concerned about the fallout from its position in regard to the “Astana process” it is co-sponsoring with Moscow and Tehran on Syria. The general picture, however, is more complicated for Ankara than it appears at first glance. Some Turkish analysts believe Washington’s latest move will produce positive results for Turkey, but not everyone agrees.
