![A border crossing for aid from Nusaybin, Turkey to Qamishli, Syria.](/content/images/size/w1304/2023/04/turkey-syria-border.jpg)
Syrian buffer zone for Idlib region is latest use of an old diplomatic tool
The concept of a demilitarization zone, like the one planned for Idlib, goes back almost a half-millennium to Europe's rules on demolishing forts or prohibiting their reconstruction.