Rising Middle East power Turkey said on Monday it would galvanize a global campaign to halt Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's repression of his people, adding that Damascus could no longer be trusted after attacks on diplomatic missions in Syria.
They seem downright angry with Assad and not very happy with having their embassy come under mob attack by pro-Assad gangs.
The deck seems cleared for action. Syria is not responding to Turkish demands to halt bloodshed. Others are putting sanctions on to show Assad is isolated. The Arab League is about to de-recognize Assad's regime by kicking Syria out of their organization. And NATO has formally ended the Libya mission, meaning in theory NATO could respond to Turkish calls for help if Syria fights Turkey when they establish humanitarian safety zones inside Syria.
Announcing sanctions by Turkey hardly seems like a resolute stance, which Turkey promises. I doubt the Turks would take the plunge by driving all the way on Damascus. But enclaves inside Syria protected by Turkish troops could doom Assad to a long and losing war of attrition, while holding out the threat of full NATO intervention to keep Syria's military response muted.
UPDATE: Jordan will look the other way if Turkey intervenes, I think:
Jordan's King Abdullah said Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad should step down, making him the first Arab ruler to issue such a call over the regime's deadly crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising.
Jordan survives in a dangerous world by altering course to go with prevailing winds. When Saddam was strong, Jordan tilted to Iraq. When Saddam was weak, Jordan tilted to America. Jordan clearly believes that tilting against Syria is the safest course.
And Assad doesn't seem willing to restrain his killers long enough to stop the momentum for Turkish intervention:
At least 69 people were killed in southern Syria on Monday, most of them in clashes between army deserters and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, activists said on Tuesday.
Certainly, the bloodshed continues in part because the opposition now has an armed faction that can keep the death toll going even if Assad wants to provide a casualty-free week.
But I don't think Assad believes he can afford to stop killing and arresting protesters and resisters before crushing them.
As Turkish-Iranian relations sour, a chance to knock a major weapon from Iran's hand by overthrowing the Assad regime may be too good a chance for Turkey to pass up.
