US president Donald Trump has announced that leading Turkish officials and some ministries will be put on the sanction list. This is due to Turkey’s invasion/incursion in northern Syria. While president Trump has already threatened to impose sanctions, the speed with which they came hints at deep uneasiness of many in the US establishment with the abandonment of the Kurds.
The latest event in the Middle east may signify a realignment of alliances, especially in Syria. Syrian Kurds have already agreed to an alliance with the Syrian government to stave of the Turkish attacks. While direct conflict between Turkey and Syria seems to be unlikely due to the disparity of their armed forces, a guerrilla campaign of some sort it possible.
It remains to be seen how Turkey will react to these sanctions. Its attack was motivated by the desire to return about two million of Syrian refugees back to Syria. It would be very humiliating for the Turkish government to back down at this juncture. On the balance, these events will probably continue the trend of Turkey distancing itself from its western “allies”.
