Introduction

Ed Ou for The New York Times

Syria is looking lonelier by the day. The king of Jordan called for Bashar al-Assad to step down, crossing off one more ally in a year that has cost the regime many others. Even Turkey, which for a decade was focused on building alliances with Syria and Iran, has reversed that approach and begun hosting Syrian defectors who attack the Assad regime. What does this change say about Turkey? What will it mean for the region?