"Uncomfortable Ottomans
Turkey’s newly assertive foreign policy strains to keep up with the Arab Spring.
BY FIRAS MAKSAD, SONER CAGAPTAY | JUNE 8, 2011
This confluence of interest was formalized through the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to Turkey in January 2004 and the signing of a strategic partnership treaty between the two countries later that year. The treaty eventually included almost 50 bilateral agreements; trade barriers and visa restrictions between the countries were lifted. In April 2009, the two countries held an unprecedented three-day military exercise and signed a defense cooperation treaty. In return, Syria promoted Turkey's regional ambitions by anointing Ankara in 2008 as chief mediator in its indirect negotiations with Israel, a role much coveted by the French and others. It also did not oppose a greater Turkish role in Lebanese and Palestinian affairs. "
More:Uncomfortable Ottomans - By Firas Maksad and Soner Cagaptay | Foreign Policy
