Erdogan poised to launch campaign in NE Syria

Over the weekend president Erdogan signaled an imminent military campaign in predominantly Kurdish North East Syria to carve out a safe zone to resettle 1 million Syrian refugees and to expand Turkey’s buffer zone against PKK terror attacks. While Kurdish militia YPG will put up a valiant defense, Turkish armor superiority will prove decisive. But, it is not the competing military strategies that Real Turkey wishes to vex about. It is immense political and economic implications of such a daring feat. Pentagon is against such a unilateral land grab, so are Russia and Iran. US Congress could renew sanctions threats, destroying market confidence. The resettlement plan is costed at $29 bn, which no foreign donor would finance. Add the cost of war and administering such a large territory with an estimated population of 1.5-2 million and Turkey’s already cash-squeezed budget may go bust. Though Real Turkey finds solid reason from Turkey’s involvement in Syria, there are better and cheaper ways to accomplish the objective.