(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Soner Cagaptay - President Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan having formed what is probably the strongest relationship between a U.S. president and a Turkish prime minister in decades. After Ankara concluded that dictators such as Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and Syria's Assad would fall - sooner or later - once they are challenged by the masses, Washington and Ankara began coordinating their policies on the Arab Spring. Cooperation has been especially deep toward Syria. The upswing in U.S.-Turkish ties is likely to last also because of increasing tensions between Ankara and Tehran. Turkey's return as a major player in the Middle East has stirred competition with the region's other country seeking hegemony, Iran. This includes in Syria, with Tehran supporting and funding the Assad regime and Ankara supporting and hosting members of the opposition.
2012-02-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive