Turkey’s misguided Middle East policy: From Syria, Iraq to the Gulf
Turkey’s misguided foreign policy has increasingly become apparent in three main spheres: Syria, Iraq and the Gulf region.
During an hourlong, live TV interview on Nov. 7 at Medyascope.tv — an independent, web-based, Turkish news platform — on the latest developments in the Middle East, I was asked what their impact could be on Turkish foreign policy in the region. The question referred to the recent dramatic steps taken by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the unexpected resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
In my response, I characterized Turkey’s recent political moves in the region as a “headless chicken” running around to describe the way Turkey conducts its foreign policy in the Middle East.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens whomever it may concern, roaring, “We could arrive suddenly one night,” or “From Idlib to Sinjar, we will raze to ground all those who are adversaries. … We would not listen to anybody.”
Erdogan is not at all happy with the relationship and cooperation between Washington and the Syrian Kurds. He says at every opportunity that the latter are terrorists and a security threat to Turkey.
