U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after a meeting, Ankara, Turkey, Aug. 24, 2016 (AP photo by Kayhan Ozer).

Anyone who thought the Syrian war could not get any more complicated, and the U.S. position within it any more contradictory, discovered in the past few days that in Syria, there is always a worse scenario at hand. This time, the troubles came via Turkey, with the tone and substance of public communications between American and Turkish officials changing drastically in a matter of just a few days amid a sharp escalation from Turkey. One week ago, Vice President Joe Biden was in Ankara offering rhetorical hugs to a stern President Recep Tayip Erdogan, proclaiming the strength of the alliance […]