Turkey taking on Iran? Not out of question

When Iran was called Persia and Turkey the Ottoman Empire, war was a regular past time for their rulers. Since the Safavid rulers embraced Shi'a Islam in the 16th century, the two countries fought intermittently until 1847, when the second Treaty of Erzurum put an end to their territorial disputes.

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Why don't you give the Kurds a state, Erdogan?

Reports that the United States has agreed to deploy predator drones in Turkey to aid Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his battle against Kurdish separatists will provoke wry smiles among those used to both hypocrisy over counter-terrorism strategy in the Middle East and the blatant double standards of an increasingly anti-Israeli Turkey.

The decision, if it goes ahead, forms part of a dea

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What is Turkey's endgame?

All the evidence on the Gaza flotilla incident last year in which nine Turkish jihadists were killed - including the Palmer Report, which did criticise Israel for "unacceptable" use of force, while also acknowledging the violence of the activists aboard - has shown beyond doubt that this was not the act of mass murder it was initially portrayed as being.

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Myopia on Israel

It is hardly surprising that the near universal reaction to the current crises in Israel's relations with Egypt and Turkey has been to blame Israel. When has anything not been held to be Israel's fault?

The breakdown in Turkish relations is Israel's fault, we are told; despite a UN report that backed Israel's right to defend itself.

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Amnesty puts Israel at fault for flotilla

Amnesty International has said it stands by its initial response to the report into the Gaza flotilla, despite the human rights group focussing almost solely on the UN's findings against Israel.

Following the publication of the Palmer Report, Amnesty International issued a statement which made no mention of the report's criticism of Turkey for failing to do enough to stop the flotilla.

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How the Israel-Turkey talks fell apart

The dispute between Israel and Turkey involved national pride, diplomatic posturing and regional interests, but protracted negotiations between the two countries often seemed to hinge on just one word.

"The government hired some of the top linguists, experts in the English language and the phrasing of international agreements," said one senior Israeli official, "just to come up with best formul

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