The Century Foundation: "Turkish Crackdown on Humanitarians Threatens Aid to Syrians"

New from me for The Century Foundation, on Turkish authorities’ rolling crackdown on international relief NGOs (INGOs):

“Turkish Crackdown on Humanitarians Threatens Aid to Syrians”

Humanitarians venerate principles of neutrality and independence, but their ostensibly apolitical work now seems to have gotten caught up in an Turkey’s own intensely charged politics.

Further INGO closures seem to pose a systemic threat to the relief effort in northern Syria, and it’s not clear whether Turkish institutions and local NGOs can fill the gap. If not, the interruption in humanitarian aid won’t affect everywhere equally. It’s likely to hit – surprise – Idlib province and Syria’s northwest, which never, ever catch a break.