Surprise, surprise: Erdogan stands by Assad

Erdogan has yet to meet the first Arab despot he does not like:

Despite growing international pressure on the Syrian leadership, Turkey believes Bashar al-Assad’s regime should be given more time to make reforms, giving a clear message to the United States that any untimely intervention would be unwelcome.

“We want a smooth transformation and an orderly transition,” a senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News on Tuesday, after a meeting between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone.

We want? Since when is Turkey a superpower? Besides, what does Erdogan even mean when he says he wants “an orderly transition?” What kind of transition are we talking about? A deal that would leave Bashar al-Assad in power, just with a carrot, instead of a gun in his hand?

It’s remarkable how Erdogan sides with one terrible Arab dictator after another.