Turkey’s Aggression Demands a Firm Response
Its invasion of Syria risks a refugee crisis, a security nightmare and a humanitarian catastrophe. The U.S. must do more to contain the damage.
It’ll get worse.
Photographer: Aref Tammawi/AFP/Getty Images
Turkey’s invasion of northeastern Syria has been roundly and rightly criticized by the international community. As the situation deteriorates, the world quickly needs to move beyond mere opprobrium.
So far, action has been limited. Several European nations have suspended arms sales to the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but the European Union has hesitated over a full-scale military embargo. U.S. President Donald Trump, having first given Erdogan the all-clear to invade, has put higher tariffs on Turkish steel, halted talks on a new trade deal, and sanctioned the Turkish ministers of defense, energy and the interior.