Misaligned alliance: Turkey and America

From The Economist Espresso: Misaligned alliance: Turkey and America

The deal between Turkey and America to establish a “safe zone” along a 70-mile (113km) section of the Turkish-Syrian border is fraught with problems. The aim is to drive Islamic State forces out of the area, in order to encourage some of the 2m Syrian refugees in Turkey to return to their country and to provide space for “moderate” rebels to train. The Ankara government is now letting American warplanes fly from nearby bases, and long-range Turkish artillery can fire over the border. But neither country will have ground forces in the zone. The biggest doubt is the absence of a shared agenda. Turkey now seems prepared to hit IS, but its main objectives are still toppling Bashar Assad, Syria’s president, and stopping Syrian Kurds from expanding the territory they control. The Americans’ priority remains degrading IS, in which they see Syrian Kurds as useful allies. Try making that work