Michael
I can only see this as short term spoiling tactics. If US looses access to Iraq as a friendly state, how is this oil going to be usefully exported? It would still be in a geographically isolated location under the control of the Kurds and presumably Turkey will not allow its export which will benefit the YPG. I personally think this is a diversionary tactic and is also aimed at denying Syria access to their oil but this sounds very short term its and not thought through. Also in time I am sure the Kurds in Syria and the other Arab tribes in that part will reconcile with Damascus and the US troops will have to leave. There are already some signs of cooperation in Afrin and around the Al bab area. Also the recent sweeping campaign in Idlib and Aleppo have been a great boost to the SG and it is becoming clear that a regime change is a really unviable idea now. In fact the main headache for Turkey and also Europe is how to deal with the foreign terrorists in the remains parts of Idlib? Nobody really wants the m to go back to where they came from as they will be destabilising and Erdogan’s actions in Syria now seem to indicate that he is not keen to have them in Turkey, for obvious reasons.