Russia and Turkey
Cool pragmatism
They may disagree about Syria but Russia and Turkey keep close business relations
Dec 8th 2012 | CEYLANPINAR AND ISTANBUL | from the print edition
“ASSAD is a butcher, Putin a devil, Erdogan a saint,” rasps Mohammed Mustafa, a bony Muslim cleric, who endured 13 years of torture in a Syrian jail. He is among the 20,000-plus Syrian refugees sheltering at a camp near the town of Ceylanpinar on the Turkish-Syrian border. “If Russia withdraws its support, Assad will fall in minutes,” claims Ibrahim Jabbali, a Free Syrian Army rebel.
More:Russia and Turkey: Cool pragmatism | The Economist
