Turkiye-Syria rapprochement: how Erdogan the dove is trying to correct his mistakes as a hawk

“… For the sake of peace for the people, the country and the region, finally step down.” That was Turkiye’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, back in November 2011 calling on Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, to resign. Then, the Syrian bloodshed had just started, while Damascus responded with brutal force as the civilian protesters calling for regime change spread all over the country as part of what became known the “Arab Spring”. The situation changed quickly and dramatically. Barely a few days into the public outpouring of anger, the peace demonstrations turned uglier and the country was engulfed in a bloodbath of civil war. The regime refused to budge, while the opposition became more organised and urged help from the […]