All Policy Analysis by Soner Cagaptay

If Erdogan can temper his political agenda amid a seemingly endless series of violent incidents, he will go down in history as one of Turkey’s most influential leaders, but otherwise he will be remembered as the man who drove his country into the ground.

Deeply polarized and facing a growing roster of external and internal enemies, Turkey seems headed for rough waters in 2017, and its institutions may not be strong enough anymore to correct course.

This collection of essays by Washington Institute experts explores how the United States can work with--or, in some cases, around--the various actors in heavily Kurdish-populated northern Syria to advance the fight against the Islamic State and create long-term stability. Successive pieces look at the Kurds themselves, Turkey, Arabs in the

The two countries appear to be compartmentalizing their shared and divergent interests in Syria and Iraq, but such an approach is highly vulnerable to unexpected military incidents and other factors.

Their first post-coup meeting was one of the few positive bilateral developments in quite some time, so Washington should try to build on it.

Turkey's Syria policy appears to be changing trajectory, signaled by three recent developments: the July 16 attempted coup, which exposed rifts within the military; the August 9 meeting between Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian president Vladimir Putin; and Turkey's incursion into Syria, culminating in the capture of Jarabulus

The ongoing influx of Syrians could tilt future elections in Erdogan and the AKP's favor, though the long-term demographic and social repercussions will be felt regardless of political outcomes.

As Turkey vies for influence in Syria and Iraq and stability across its borders with those countries, it will need to make peace with its own Kurdish community.

The Russian president will likely follow up today's meeting by offering to lift sanctions, along with other incentives, but the longer-term bilateral impact on political ties, especially in Syria, will remain unknown for some time.

The post-coup fallout spells trouble for NATO, Europe, and the Turkish president's foes.