This is John Batchelor, conversation with colleague Sinan Chidi of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy,

head of the Turkish program, about the decision by Ankara Erdogan, the president, a very strong man,

leading Turkey, to support Al-Shara, the man now declaring himself president of Syria,

meeting important world leaders such as the president of the United States in Riyadh.

The question put to Sinan says there's no information one way or to other yet.

Is Al-Sharahara an avatar for Erdogan or a man who's

operating under his own power. The word stooge comes to mind and the word blocking back

comes to mind. However, too early, says Sinan. Here's Sinan to explain how complicated this can become.

It is the Middle East.

It is the remains of the Ottoman Empire.

It's not supposed to be easy.

6,000, 7,000 years of commerce and confusion.

More of this later. Again, that's a very good question. I would say to you,

I don't think we have a clear answer to that. I think there are convincing arguments that would

that would sort of put both sides of this case, which is to suggest that on the one hand,

Shiraz very sort of careful and not to be seen as a puppet or as a sort of stooge of Airdwan and, you know, Turkey.

Even though Erdogan and Turkey have been very sort of complementary of him, we've just seen a major sort of energy deal of $7 billion signed between the Shara government and Qatarian

Turkish energy firms, right, that will power significantly large swaths of Syria.

We have seen Turkish construction firms, infrastructure firms, banking firms, essentially

vying for Syrian sort of government, you know, Syrian markets since the lifting of

sanctions. And we have seen Shirat visit Ankara. We've seen him have, you know, numerous sort of

meetings with Turkish officials like the foreign minister, the intelligence chief. Turkey's offered

...