"Ankara should reset its Syria policy by combining its unavoidable status as a buffer state with the proactive and constructive foreign policy it adopted from 2002 to 2010," Keyman stated in an article for the Center for American Progress.
The Western approach which requires relying on Turkey to contain the spillover effects of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq has been wearing out, the expert added.
Keyman argued that Ankara should not be contained with the role of a buffer but rather seek ways to shape outcomes of the crisis.
"Turkey must avoid being dragged into a sectarian standoff in Syria and the wider region," Keyman said.
For months, Turkey's southern districts have been subjected to shelling from the territories in Syria occupied by the Islamic State (IS) militants. Turkish troops deployed in the vicinity of the country's border with Syria retaliate by shelling the targets of the IS, a group which is outlawed in a number of countries, including Russia.