More diplomats have descended on Damascus in the past week than in the past decade.
US, European, Saudi, Qatari, Jordanian, and Lebanese officials have all met with Syria’s de facto ruler, Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani), a former Al Qaeda commander who severed ties with the global network.
But it was Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s visit that signaled the shift in the region’s balance of power.
The warm reception — complete with hugs and kisses — marked a significant triumph for the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan era, elevating Türkiye to the region’s powerhouse.
Unlike Iran, whose Shia identity defines its rivalry with Saudi Arabia, Türkiye’s Sunni credentials present a subtler challenge to Gulf monarchies, journalist Hassan Hassan noted in The Guardian.
Riyadh’s claim to Sunni leadership is now contested by Ankara’s vision, which supported causes like the Arab Spring that resonated with political Islamists.
Türkiye’s victory in Syria brings echoes of its role in the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in 2012, which some Gulf states countered with a military-backed coup, he writes.
For Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel, Türkiye’s influence in Damascus is a strategic gamechanger. As US President-elect Donald Trump noted last week, Ankara’s “very smart” moves in Syria highlight its ascendancy.
The region’s future power struggles will now revolve around Türkiye’s scope of influence rather than Iran’s ambitions.
