An Unholy Alliance: How Turkey and Saudi Arabia Exploit Syria’s Ruins to Mask Their Desperate Power Play
The recent reconciliation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia—two regional powers long divided by ideological rifts and geopolitical feuds—reveals a cynical marriage of convenience, as both regimes now seek to exploit Syria’s devastation for their own strategic and economic gain.
By: M.S. Qorbani
The recent reconciliation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia—two regional powers long divided by ideological rifts and geopolitical feuds—reveals a cynical marriage of convenience, as both regimes now seek to exploit Syria’s devastation for their own strategic and economic gain.
After years of hostility over issues ranging from the murder of Jamal Khashoggi to opposing stances in Libya and Qatar, Ankara and Riyadh have abruptly papered over their grievances, positioning themselves as arbiters of Syria’s future while pursuing agendas steeped in hypocrisy and self-interest.
Central to this dubious collaboration is the reconstruction of Syria—a nation shattered by a war both countries exacerbated. Turkey, having failed to overthrow Bashar al-Assad despite years of destabilizing interventions, now postures as a stabilizing force, leveraging its military foothold in northern Syria to negotiate influence. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, seeks to launder its image as a humanitarian partner while masking its role in fueling the conflict through years of backing extremist factions to counter Iran. Their sudden unity hinges on a shared desire to contain Tehran’s regional ascendancy and carve out economic spoils from Syria’s ruins, despite having contributed to its destruction.
The charade of "inclusivity" touted by Ankara and Riyadh is particularly galling. Both nations, notorious for suppressing dissent and minority rights domestically, now preach the necessity of a "representative" Syrian government—a transparent ploy to install pliable leadership that aligns with their interests. Their newfound concern for Syria’s stability is belied by their histories: Turkey’s reckless support for Takfiri proxies during the war, and Saudi Arabia’s funding of sectarian militias, which turned Syria into a breeding ground for terrorism.
Financially, the partnership reeks of opportunism. With Syria’s reconstruction costs estimated at up to $700 billion—a sum neither Turkey nor Saudi Arabia can shoulder—both regimes aim to position themselves as gatekeepers for international aid, diverting funds to entrench their influence. Turkey’s push to repatriate Syrian refugees, many of whom fled its own military operations, and Saudi Arabia’s sudden interest in "regional stability" are thinly veiled attempts to offload humanitarian burdens onto a broken state.
The alliance’s fragility is laid bare by its reliance on external actors. Turkey’s courtship of Riyadh hinges on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s [MBS] sway in Washington to lift sanctions on anti-Assad [former] terrorists and today's rulers—a delusional gambit given the Biden administration’s waning tolerance for MbS’s human rights abuses. Similarly, their synchronized condemnation of Israeli actions in Syria rings hollow, as both nations have historically weaponized regional conflicts while ignoring their own complicity in destabilization.
This Turkish-Saudi rapprochement is not a blueprint for peace, but a testament to authoritarian opportunism. By coopting Syria’s reconstruction, Ankara and Riyadh aim to whitewash their legacies of aggression, sideline Iran, and project an illusion of regional leadership. Yet their collaboration—forged on the graves of Syrians and fueled by shared hypocrisy—will only deepen the Middle East’s fractures, proving that neither regime seeks stability, only supremacy.
