The Strategic Interaction between Turkey and Iran in the Syrian Crisis: A Game Theoretical Analysis of the Time Frame from 2011 to 2015

The Syrian crisis has revealed the clashing strategic interests of Turkey and Iran. The two states are pursuing opposite policies on the Syrian crisis to such an extent that Turkish regional policies concentrate on the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, whereas Iran devotes its resources to helping the regime stay in power. The reasons of these clashing policies are important that they reflect regional objectives of Turkey and Iran. In this respect, this study investigates the causal relationship between the regional ambitions of Turkey and Iran, as the independent variable, and the contradictory policies of these two countries in the Syrian crisis, as the dependent variable. By doing so, it aims to articulate the role of Turkish and Iranian regional ambitions by taking into account their clashing policies towards the Syrian crisis from 2011 to 2015, the time frame before the Astana Process. As of the methodology, this study applies game theoretical modeling because this methodology helps manifestation of a cause-and-effect relationship in a systematized way