Turkey's Careful Incursion Into Syria

Turkey's long-anticipated incursion into Syria has begun, exactly 500 years after the Battle of Marj Dabiq, near Aleppo, heralded the Ottoman conquest of much of the Middle East. With Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) surging across Aleppo province, it was only a matter of time before Ankara increased its involvement in the Syrian civil war (though various hiccups forestalled its entry into the country). Even as its troops cross the border into Syria, however, Turkey's role in the conflict remains constrained by the risks inherent in the war and by its own weaknesses. Instead of a daring charge into Syria, Turkey has made a carefully calibrated entrance. ...