Last week a $7 billion energy deal involving the United States, Turkey and Qatar, was signed in Damascus, a move designed to revive Syria's crippled power sector. The move raises questions about Qatar and Turkey’s role in post-Assad Syria and about the Trump administration’s Syria policy. The move also comes as Turkey’s President Erdogan is continuing his crackdown on opposition voices. Henri Barkey, a Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and an Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Thanos Davelis as we dig into Washington’s green-lighting of Turkey and Qatar’s embrace of Syria, and look at how this could impact Erdogan at home.
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
Turkey's big Syria play: Rebuild, but only if Gulf can pay for it
Turkey and Qatar Are Buying Into Syria. The US Should Be Wary of Their Motives
Fresh hope for Europe’s largest wooden building, a Greek Orthodox orphanage
Libyan House reportedly looks to ratify Turkey maritime deal