Reality on Turkey vs Israel: Omer Taspinar

Turkey’s plan to flex its naval muscles in the eastern Mediterranean risks being perceived as an over-reaction in Ankara’s dispute with former ally Israel and as an assertion of regional power that could alienate even its new Arab admirers.

Omer Taspinar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Turkey might be using Israel as a convenient punching bag following a series of diplomatic setbacks and domestic failures, including the Kurdish problem.

Turkey’s ties with Syria, a former friend, are near breaking point — President Bashar al-Assad has defied Turkish calls for him to end a bloody crackdown on protesters. Shi’ite Iran, another close ally of Turkey, has reacted frostily to Ankara’s decision to host a NATO early-warning radar system.

“Turkey is going through a difficult period and Israel has given Erdogan the chance to demonstrate he is a strong leader in a strong country,” Taspinar said.

“Turkey has experienced a period of economic growth and political stability and it feels very powerful. But they don’t realize there is a price to pay for this saber-rattling.”

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