Turkey and Russia engage in delicate maneuvers over Syria after Assad’s downfall

The rapid downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad has touched off a new round of delicate geopolitical maneuvering between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. With the dust still settling from the stunning events in Damascus, the outcome for now seems be favoring Ankara, which backed the victorious rebels, while Moscow suffered a bruising blow to its international clout. The Assad regime’s demise opens yet another chapter in the complex relationship between Putin and Erdogan, with wide-ranging implications not just for Syria but also for Ukraine and the two leaders’ ties with Washington. Russia and Turkey share economic and security interests — as well as an intense rivalry.