American and Turkish policies in Syria are increasingly clashing in the open in the wake of Assad’s ouster on December 8. As we detailed last week, the Pentagon is building a new base in the heart of Kurdish territory in northern Syria near the Turkish border (which the US has since denied, despite videos showing the military build-up). This is a huge provocation to the Erdogan government, given the Turkish army and its proxies are at war with the US-backed Syrian Kurds. In fresh Monday statements, Turkey has put both the Kurds and by extension Washington on notice, saying it is only a “matter of time” before Kurdish militants are driven out of Syria. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that Turkey will not accept any future Syria with the YPG in it. The YPG makes up the core of the US-funded and trained Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), but Turkey sees it as but an extension of the outlawed PKK. “We are in a position not only to see but also to break any kind of plot in the region,” Fidan told a press conference alongside his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Ankara. “Conditions in Syria have changed. We believe it’s only a matter of time before […]