Turkey's dangerous offer to have boots in the Syrian ground

U.S. President Barack Obama has said failing to prepare for the aftermath of the ousting of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was the worst mistake of his presidency.

Since then, this mistake seems to have marked Obama's policies in the Middle East.

Although he explains it with different reasoning in his interview with the Atlantic, the "what will happen the day after" syndrome must have played an important role in Obama's reluctance to endorse a more assertive military strategy in Syria. In fact, one could assert with confidence that the Obama administration would not let the regime fall in Syria if it knew it would lead a majority of the country to fall into the hands of radical Islamists.

Currently another "day after" issue is on the table between Turkey and United States. What happens the day after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is "cleansed" from the Turkish border?

A successful offensive in Raqqa will strike a deadly blow to ISIL. Currently the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are primarily composed of Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) members, stands as the most powerful force capable of staging this offensive. Preparations are ongoing to take the town of Manbij, which is Raqqa's last line of defense. This will no doubt take place with U.S. aerial support. 

A successful offensive against Manbij would certainly strengthen the hands of PYD, which is seen by Turkey as an affiliate of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). With the cease-fire ended in summer, the violence that resumed between the PKK and the Turkish Armed forces has continued uninterrupted ever since. U.S.-PYD cooperation certainly boosts the PKK's self-confidence to attack Turkey. 

In this backdrop, the...