Turkey's Measured Response to Syria

Turkey deployed its military to the Syrian border June 26 after a warning issued by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ankara would regard any Syrian forces nearing the border as a military threat. According to Turkish media, 15 military vehicles, including tanks and cannons, have already been dispatched to the border from Diyarbakir through Mardin. Erdogan made the announcement during a speech to parliament as NATO members met in Brussels to discuss Syria's June 22 downing of a Turkish fighter jet.

With the warning, Erdogan made it clear that Ankara does not want war with Syria by refraining from pledging offensive operations — a response the prime minister's critics deem too lenient. However, the troop deployment signals a critical change in Turkey's behavior toward Syria. More important, Turkey has shown Syria and its international allies that Ankara is willing to involve NATO — even though neither wants military intervention.