Why Erdogan could end up the big winner in Syria’s upheaval

In northern Syria the war has not ended. In fact, it intensified last week, as President Erdogan tries to exploit this moment to boost Turkish influence across the region, while pursuing his longstanding ambition of crushing the Kurd resistance. “If any of the external actors who have long asserted claims over the future of Syria can be said to have ‘won’ following the overthrow of Assad, it is Turkey,” said Burcu Ozcelik from the Royal United Services Institute.