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The Turkish government’s handling of its Kurdish minority and the state of its civil-military relations will determine the longevity of the current improvement in Turkish political economy.
The violent jihad advocated by al-Qaeda is not widely accepted by Yemenis at this point, and there is a small window of opportunity to take steps to undermine al-Qaeda’s influence.
It is possible that Israel’s raid on the humanitarian flotilla could have negative consequences for its global standing.
A two-state solution requires reconciliation between Palestinian factions and reunification of the West Bank and Gaza. The United States should support Palestinian institution building and be open to political competition, including elections.
The recent flotilla incident is the culmination of a steep decline in Israeli-Turkish relations that started with the Gaza war in 2008 and 2009.
Obama's Cairo speech had the admirable goal of improving relations with the Muslim world, but the administration has focused almost exclusively on building bridges with leaders and governments rather than supporting political and human rights.
Israel’s raid on a flotilla of humanitarian aid has refocused global attention on Gaza’s isolation. Israel’s action have helped Hamas, and the group is now operating from a position of greater strength.
The flotilla incident is the culmination of a slow drift in Turkish-Israeli relations. As the Israelis are increasingly subject to international opprobrium, Turkey’s strategic importance in the region is ascendant.
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the contested re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While the regime succeeded in quelling the momentum of the Green Movement, the country’s deep internal rifts are far from reconciled.
The Israeli raid on a humanitarian flotilla headed for Gaza has been a present for Hamas. The sooner the United States and Israel realize that the popularity of Hamas is the result of failed policies, the better off the peace process will be.