{"id":44763,"date":"2019-01-31T16:55:32","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T16:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/31\/former-us-and-turkish-admirals-spar-over-the-future-of-syria-and-iranian-influence\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:17:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:17:17","slug":"former-us-and-turkish-admirals-spar-over-the-future-of-syria-and-iranian-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/flashpoints\/2019\/01\/31\/former-us-and-turkish-admirals-spar-over-the-future-of-syria-and-iranian-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"Former US and Turkish admirals spar over the future of Syria and Iranian influence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A retired U.S. admiral who once held the role of NATO supreme allied commander <\/a>remains opposed to Syria\u2019s Bashar al-Assad regime<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as the authoritarian leader consolidates control over the western part of his country and U.S. troops reportedly prepare to depart their footholds in the east<\/a>, retired Adm. James Stavridis<\/a> said: \u201cSyria as a nation probably does not survive long-term in its current form.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retired Turkish Rear Admiral Ali Deniz Kutluk holds the opposite view, reflecting a split seen between their two governments, which are also NATO allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The disagreement is felt in real time for U.S. troops posted near Turkey\u2019s southern border in contentious Syrian towns that were liberated from the Islamic State by Americans and their largely Kurdish partner forces<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTurkey\u2019s foreign policy for decades has been based on no problems with neighbors, and this is good until your neighbors have problems,\u201d Stavridis said at a panel hosted by the Turkish Heritage Organization in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTurkey was forthright early on in criticizing Assad,” he added, pointing to the Syrian regime\u2019s indiscriminate bombing, use of chemical weapons and reluctance to accept democratic reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, though, Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have squashed rebel strongholds across western Syria, causing anxiety for U.S. officials who worry about a resurgence of ISIS in the region and the growth of Iranian influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey, meanwhile, is ready to accept Assad as the victor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTurkey and Syria will at the end of the day have to cooperate,” Kutluk said. “But it must remain a Syrian prerogative to defend their soil. … We both know that you cannot eliminate all terrorist entities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis and former Turkish Navy Rear Admiral Ali Deniz Kutluk discuss the NATO alliance at the Turkish Heritage Organization on Jan. 31, 2019. (THO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also at stake is the future of U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, whom Turkey views as terrorists. Some Kurds hoped that by allying with the U.S. in fighting ISIS they would be rewarded with statehood in the northern part of Syria. That dream was squashed by Turkey, a key NATO ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turkey opposes a Kurdish state, citing the ethnically Kurdish terrorists it has fought for several decades within its own country. Turkish military operations across Syria\u2019s border in places like Afrin also worry observers who fear Ankara will displace ethnic Kurds if the U.S. pulls out of the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Kutluk said that shouldn\u2019t be a concern. \u201cIf they are not terrorists, of course they should stay there for good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kutluk added that Ankara and Damascus may soon fall back on the 1998 Adana Accord, an agreement to cooperate on countering terrorism between their countries, which may ease U.S. concerns over ISIS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that doesn\u2019t satisfy U.S. officials on the issue of Iran and the militant groups it sponsors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis Iranian element is part of the reason the United States wants to remain engaged in the region,” Stavridis said. \u201cOperating in that region provides a balance against \u2026 Shia dominance coupled with [Assad\u2019s] Alawite dominance in Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kutluk was skeptical over allegations made by the U.S. military in recent months that it needs to hold bases in Syria, like al-Tanf on the Iraq-Syria border, in order to prevent the movement of Iran-aligned militants.<\/p>\n\n\n\t