The Awkward, Necessary U.S.-Turkey Relationship
There's no path to victory over ISIS without Erdogan.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis has a difficult task ahead. In a visit to Turkey Wednesday, he will step into the thicket of competing interests that characterizes one of America's most important military partnerships. At the center of the difficulty is American efforts in Syria, which rely fundamentally on a collection of local forces among whom are actors Turkey considers terrorists.
The Trump administration has the Islamic State. Its plan on: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the largely Kurdish militias fighting ISIS; airpower; and hundreds of special operations forces at different points over the past two years.
