Turkey has been peeved at neighboring Syria for some time now. Bashar Assad’s wanton slaughter of his own people has driven them to seek refuge in Turkey.

Now Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, has warned Syria that unless it ceases its crackdown that the “time for words will be over.”

Does this mean Turkey is prepared to go to war with Syria? If so, how much time does Assad have to comply with the Turkish ultimatum? Or will the Obama Administration clip Turkey’s wings? If Turkey were to invade Syria would Iran rush to Syria’s aid? And what about Iraq? What if it were to join Iran? A regional war would ensue. If that’s the case then what does it mean for U.S. troops still stationed in Iraq?

Or will the words of warning from Turkey be enough to convince Assad to stop the bloodshed? Could it be that Assad is more likely to heed the words from Ankara than the words from the White House? Or are Turkey’s ultimatums as meaningless as those emanating from D.C.?

UPDATE: Here’s an article from The New York Times over the weekend in which Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki backs Assad’s crackdown. H/T to Andy McCarthy from National Review.