The celebrations that ended the more than half-century of Assad family tyranny in Syria are over. In the short term, Russia and Iran are losers; Turkey is the winner. After all, Turkey was the prime backer of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham rebel group that swept through Syria.

Washington, D.C., still has its fair share of cheerleaders. Turkey’s supposed strength attracts those who wish to ride its coattails or profit from it.

Just as U.S. officials catapulted their work experience in Saudi Arabia into lucrative golden parachutes in the late 20th century, so too do American officials with service in Turkey.