Demetrios Tsailas (ret Admiral)
(He has taught for many years, operational planning, strategy, and security, to senior officers at the Supreme Joint War College. He is a member and researcher of the Institute for National and International Security)
Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 7 February 2026
Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies
Introduction
The fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 has profoundly reshaped the geopolitical landscape of the Levant. Among the regional actors, Turkey is frequently described as the principal beneficiary of this transformation. While Ankara has indeed gained strategic depth in Syria, this perception of Turkey as the “great winner” risks oversimplifying a far more complex reality. Turkey’s influence is real but constrained, and its post-Assad role must be assessed through the prism of regional instability, economic fragility, and evolving great-power competition.... Read more