Skip to main content

The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Who we are
    • Programs
      • Alliance for Securing Democracy
      • Asia Program
      • Balkan Trust for Democracy
      • Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation
      • Congressional Affairs
      • Europe Program
      • Fund for Belarus Democracy
      • Future of Geopolitics
      • GMF Cities
      • GMF Digital
      • Leadership Programs
      • Mediterranean Program
      • Security and Defense
    • Offices
      • Ankara
      • Belgrade
      • Berlin
      • Brussels
      • Bucharest
      • Paris
      • Warsaw
      • Washington, DC
    • About Us
    • Marshall Plan
    • Our Partners
  • Experts
  • Events
    Mar
    5
    Upcoming Event

    Changes in U.S. and EU Cyber Policy: Cooperation, Convergence, or Competition?

    March 5, 2021 | 10:30AM to 11:30AM EST
    • Major Conferences & Forums
      GMF brings together hundreds of policymakers, elected officials, academics, and business leaders from around the world to discuss topics from energy to migration, economics to security, urban growth to diplomacy.
    All Events →
  • Our Work
    • Topics
      • America
      • Asia
      • Europe
      • Cities and Regions
      • Security
      • Trade and Economies
      • All Topics
    • Research
      • Publications
      • Transatlantic Takes
    • Perspectives
      • Audio
      • Video
      • Blog post
      • In The News
  • Stay Informed
Feb
26
Past Event

US Withdrawal Decision: What’s Next for Turkey in Syria?

February 26, 2019 | 1:00PM to 2:30PM CET
Brussels
Related programs: 
Turkey

Discussants

  • Dr. Magdalena Kirchner, Chief Operating Officer and a Senior Analyst, CONIAS Risk Intelligence
  • Dr. Nicholas Danforth, Visiting Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
  • Prof. Dr. Mesut Özcan, Director Diplomacy Academy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey

Moderator

  • Dr. Kadri Taştan, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Almost eight years in, the Syrian Civil War seems as convoluted as ever and an end is not in sight. Even the U.S. decision to withdraw its troops from Syria (and the subsequent kind of walk-back) only added to the turmoil and will definitely cause U.S. allies to seek assurances elsewhere. Turkey on the one hand appears as a beneficiary of this decision, since it demonstrably weakens the position of the Kurdish YPG forces, which is Ankara’s primary foreign policy objective regarding Syria. On the other hand, it empowers Russia and the Syrian regime. In contrast to an increasing number of Arab countries, Turkey refuses to accept the Syrian regime’s survival. More importantly, although Russia has some interest in keeping Turkey at its side, mainly to further weaken the NATO alliance, Turkey is highly dependent on Russia’s explicit and implicit approval for almost all issues Syria. Thus, the question remains, what comes next for Turkey in Syria?

The discussion will attempt to assess the state of the U.S. commitment to remain involved in Syria, analyze implications for Turkey and look at potential consequences for other actors involved.

This roundtable discussion is part of a series of events and analyses organized as part of the GMF-TOBB Fellowship on Turkey, Europe, and Global Issues, launched by GMF in partnership with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) in 2017.

Please note that this event is invitation-only. The discussion will be under Chatham House Rules.

Kadri Tastan

TOBB Senior Fellow

Ian Lesser

Vice President and Executive Director, Brussels

Event Details

February 26, 2019 | 1:00PM CET
The German Marshall Fund of the United States Brussels Office
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155
Brussels
Belgium
Strengthening Transatlantic Cooperation

Our Organization

  • About GMF
  • Career Opportunities
  • Our Partners
  • Press Room
  • Support Our Work
  • Core Values

Our Work

  • Leadership
  • Policy
  • Civil Society
  • Research & Analysis

Our Experts

  • Find an Expert

Follow

  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Diversity Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Credits

Stay Informed

Don’t miss out on the latest from GMF. Sign up to receive emailed newsletters, announcements, and event notifications.

Subscribe