As Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu had presided over a widely acclaimed “zero problems with neighbors” foreign policy. This foreign policy was a fraud from the outset, though, relying on an overly generous definition of “zero” and a selective definition of “neighbor.” Turkey used this declared policy as cover to pursue regional hegemony in a less overtly threatening manner.
Fewer actors in the region were fooled than policymakers in Washington. As Turkey increasingly asserted itself in the Eastern Mediterranean – seemingly with the Barack Obama administration’s early blessing – balancing coalitions started to form. Partnerships that initially formed over energy cooperation started to transform into something far deeper.
Read more in Kathimerini
Conscience of a Hellene 