They are suddenly isolated and weakened. Worse may be to come
A Syrian National Army (SNA) soldier carries ammunition as they celebrate victory in Manbij on December 7, 2024
Photograph: Getty Images
FOR ALMOST a decade, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, having given up hope of regime change in Syria, focused instead on keeping the country’s Kurdish minority in check. Over and over, he asked America to break with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the predominantly Kurdish militia that helped America defeat Islamic State (IS), withdraw American troops from Syria’s north-east, and outsource security in the region to Turkey and its proxies. Turkey’s leader will probably make Donald Trump, the incoming American president, a similar offer. But the collapse of Syria’s regime means he may also present Mr Trump with a fait accompli.