Turkey is currently clashing with all its neighbors or with factions in them. Some of these clashes are old and go back to historical stages, while others are new and related to the current circumstances witnessed in the Middle East region. This Turkish clash has taken shape a few months ago, probably at the beginning of the protests in Syria, considering that Ankara perceived these protests as being part of the Turkish domestic situation. In other words, this clash started after Turkey realized it was part of the region's complexities and problems which it once said it wanted to eliminate. Hence, in addition to the traditional conflict with Greece in the Aegean Sea and its repercussions in Cyprus, Ankara is facing a conflict with the Aphrodite Island over the energy wealth in the Mediterranean, reaching the point of threatening to dispatch its navy to the disputed region with the neighboring island, knowing it is only recognizing the republic it established in its northern part. And prior to the gas crisis with Cyprus, Ankara threatened to pull out from the talks with the European Union if Cyprus were to preside over it next year, despite the fact that it is eager to enter this Union. And prior to the recent crisis with Cyprus, Ankara ousted the Israeli ambassador against the backdrop of the Israeli commando attack against the Turkish ship and the killing of Turkish nationals who were on board. It also threatened to dispatch warships to protect any Turkish vessels carrying aid to the Gaza Strip. In other words, Ankara threatened to resort to armed power in the context of crises which erupted with sides supposed to militarily belong to one camp in which it is also a member, i.e. NATO. On the other hand, throughout the Mediterranean coast and southward toward Egypt, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Cairo left a lot of bitterness among the Islamists who are supposed to be sharing his ideological reference, due to his statements about Islam and democracy. And although he did not issue any threats at this level, the Islamists responded in a violent way, reminding him that the days of the Ottoman Empire are over. On the Middle Eastern land, the Turkish forces are clashing with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, not only inside the Turkish soil but also with the Iraqi neighbor. It seems at this level that military escalation is still the only way to handle this issue and all that it carries in terms of the accumulation of sensitivities with the Iraqi Kurdistan province and even the central authority in Baghdad, especially in case the threats to undertake operations inside of Iraq are carried out. Eastward, a crisis erupted with Tehran after Ankara accepted to host the radars of NATO's anti-Iranian missiles system, not to mention this approval's repercussions at the level of the Russian neighbor which is rejecting the deployment of such missiles and considers them to be an undermining of the balance with it. This happened although Ankara once tried to mediate over the Iranian nuclear file and offered suggestions to the West to exit the predicament. With the emergence of the new tensions with Tehran and the escalating confrontation with the PKK, Ankara is finding itself sliding deeper into a conflict with Iraq as its arena. This will cause an indirect confrontation with Iran over this part of the region, although the Turkish investments in Iraqi Kurdistan are the largest. On the southern border, the relations with Syria are growing colder to the point of being practically severed as it was announced by Erdogan himself. This was seen after Ankara had played the role of the mediator between Syria and Israel to activate the peace process between them. There are also accusations – or at least suspicions – voiced against Ankara in Damascus today, saying it might act as the backyard for any possible foreign operations against the Syrian regime, which will move the political tensions to the military level. Hence, the new Turkish diplomacy - under the slogan “zero-problem policy” issued by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu – opened up to the region with great optimism of seeing economic and developmental cooperation, political openness and a peaceful solution to the accumulating crises. But when this diplomacy became engaged in the reality of the region, it found itself at the heart of all its problems and a side in all its conflicts, to the point of threatening to use force against yesterday's friends. Ankara's use of a simple idea in a complicated East did not do it any good, especially when it decided to be a part of it.
