Turkey’s complicated role in the fight against ISIS

Turkey’s complicated role in the fight against ISIS
Turkey’s complicated role in the fight against ISIS

Turkey’s complicated role in the fight against ISIS

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When the U.S. went to war with ISIS it did so with a posse of monarchies. However, its democratic NATO ally, Turkey, was on the sidelines. The reason for this is Turkey’s complicated relationship with the war in Syria and domestic politics. Henri Barkey argues that for all practical purposes ISIS has taken Turkey’s Syria policy hostage. He’s a professor of international relations at Lehigh University. (photo: In a quirk of diplomatic history, a small unit of Turkish soldiers is guarding the tomb of Suleyman Shah deep in the Syrian Desert. (AP Photo/ Ministry of Foresty and Waters, File))