The year 2012 did not go well for Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in terms of his once highly touted policy of “zero problems with neighbors.” If anything “zero problems” has turned into a catch phrase for lampooning his political ambitions.
Far from zero problems, Turkey’s relations with Iraq and Syria deteriorated further in 2012. Expectations for 2013 are not much better, given that events in those countries will most likely get worse before getting better.