What Is Behind the Istanbul Attack?
Soner Cagaptay
January 13, 2016
The Islamic State's choice of target likely reflects a very deliberate attempt to short-circuit U.S.-Turkish military efforts along the Syrian border and exacerbate tensions in Europe.
The January 12 Islamic State (IS) attack in Istanbul appears to have multiple motives. First, by striking in the heart of the old city center -- which has many mosques, museums, and tourists, but few Turks -- the group targeted the country's lucrative tourism industry and its $30 billion in annual revenues. At least ten people were killed in the suicide blast, all of them tourists. If such attacks continue, they would have a debilitating effect on the industry and, in turn, the country's balance of payments.
More:What Is Behind the Istanbul Attack? - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy