Turkish Policy Toward Syria After the U.S. Withdrawal

Discussants

• Galip Dalay, Visiting Scholar, University of Oxford; Research Director, Al Sharq Forum, and Nonresident Fellow, The Brookings Doha Center
• Nicholas Danforth, Visiting Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Moderator

• Ceylan Canbilek, Senior Program Officer, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

The U.S. decision to withdraw from Syria has set off a scramble northeastern Syria. Since the decision was announced, Turkey has held off plans of a military incursion into the area and instead engaged in heavy diplomatic activity with different parties to realize its objective of clearing its borders from the Kurdish PKK and the YPG. While the United States and Turkey are discussing a safe zone in the Northeastern Syria extending 20 miles from the Turkish border, the nature of this safe zone or that of the U.S. withdrawal are not clear yet. Meanwhile, at the Sochi summit attended by leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that the only correct solution is to place those territories under the Syrian government's control.

Please join us to discuss the following questions: What is the likely time frame and nature of the U.S. withdrawal? To what extent will the withdrawal from Syria end U.S. support to PYD? What options will Turkey have in this new period in Syria and what new challenges will it face? In what ways will all of this impact U.S.-Turkish relations?

If you have any questions, please contact Ceylan Canbilek at 0312 4474080 or [email protected].