[1]Jump to Navigation [2]Foreign Affairs Main menu * [3]Home * [4]New Issue * [5]Subscribe Turkey Is No Partner for Peace How Ankara’s Sectarianism Hobbles U.S. Syria Policy [6]Halil Karaveli September 11, 2012 Summary: The United States is counting on Turkey to help oust the Syrian regime and bring about a pluralistic government. But Ankara, whose Sunni leadership sees Syria’s conflict in sectarian terms, is not on board. * [7]Email * [8]Share * [9]Comment Erdogan, right, attends the funeral of two pilots shot down by Syria in June. (Umit Bektas / Courtesy Reuters) At first glance, it appears that the United States and Turkey are working hand in hand to end the Syrian civil war. On August 11, after meeting with Turkish officials, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement that the two countries’ foreign ministries were coordinating to support the Syrian opposition and bring about a democratic transition. In Ankara on August 23, U.S. and Turkish officials turned those words into action, holding their first operational planning meeting aimed at hastening the downfall of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Beneath their common desire to oust Assad, however, Washington and Ankara have two distinctly different visions of a post-revolutionary Syria. The United States insists that any solution to the Syrian crisis should guarantee religious and ethnic pluralism. But Turkey, which is ruled by a Sunni government, has come to see the conflict in sectarian terms, building close ties with Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood–dominated Sunni opposition, seeking to suppress the rights of Syrian Kurds, and castigating the minority Alawites -- Assad’s sect -- as enemies. That should be unsettling for the Obama administration, since it means that Turkey will not be of help in promoting a multi-ethnic, democratic government in Damascus. In fact, Turkish attitudes have already contributed to Syria’s worsening sectarian divisions. Washington is pushing for pluralism. In Istanbul last month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon emphasized that “the Syrian opposition needs to be inclusive, needs to give a voice to all of the groups in Syria . . . and that includes Kurds.” Clinton, after meeting with her Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, stressed that a new Syrian government “will need to protect the rights of all Syrians regardless of religion, gender, or ethnicity.” Registration Required: Log in to continue reading To continue reading, you must be a registered user or Foreign Affairs subscriber. Please log in below or [10]register with ForeignAffairs.com. Log In E-mail: * __________ Password: * ________ Login Subscribe Subscribe and get premium access to ForeignAffairs.com. [11]Subscribe Related Articles 1. [12]What it Will Take to Intervene in Syria 2. [13]Obama's Options in Damascus 3. [14]Beyond Moderates and Militants [fa-article-premium-icon.png] Referring Article 1. [15]Turkey's Democratic Dilemma [16]View the discussion thread. IFRAME: [17]http://d3.zedo.com/jsc/d3/ff2.html?n=741;c=26/1;s=1;d=25;w=320;h=50 ; [18]Regions + * [19]Africa * [20]Americas * [21]Asia * [22]Europe * [23]Global Commons * [24]Middle East * [25]Russia & FSU [26]Topics + * [27]Economics * [28]Environment * [29]Law & Institutions * [30]Politics & Society * [31]Security * [32]U.S. Policy [33]Books & Reviews + * [34]Review Essays * [35]Capsule Reviews * [36]FA Books Search ____________________ Search * [37]Facebook * [38]Twitter * [39]YouTube * [40]RSS Login E-mail: * __________ Password: * ________ Login Newsletters Enter your email address to subscribe to e-mail updates from Foreign Affairs. 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